


Someone pun-derstands

by lumis101



Category: Undertale
Genre: Abuse, Anxiety, Bad Puns, Child Neglect, Cute, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Flowey is a mostly harmless jerk, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hate Crimes, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Main character learns magic(much later on), Mentions of Frisk having a crush, My First Fanfic, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overprotective Sans (Undertale), Overprotective friends, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Racist Language, Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Set looks for main character, Set name for main charater, Sexual Harassment, Sleepy Cuddles, Stress, Strong Language, Violence, flowey still has emotions, lots of fluff, lots of music references, lots of songs, main character is a girl, mentions of W.D. Gaster - Freeform, sassy old people, suuuper slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:27:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 86,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26853712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumis101/pseuds/lumis101
Summary: You, Marceline, (no not that one) have had a rough life for the most part. But when skeleton that seems as joyful as he is tall comes into your life, things take a turn you didn't know was even there. Things you never thought you would do, friends you never dream would willingly be in your life, and so much more. Maybe even something you never let yourself think was an option... love...This is my first fan-fic that I've posted. I hope you all like it! I'll try to update when I can, feel free to correct my grammar or spelling!
Relationships: Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Asgore Dreemurr/Toriel, Papyrus/Mettaton, Sans/Reader
Comments: 16
Kudos: 123





	1. accidental meeting.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to those who clicked! I hope you enjoy!

You run into your room as fast as you can. _I need to hide._ You frantically look around the room. "Marceline?!" You hear his stomping coming from the hall. "You come here right now! You are in huge fucking trouble!." His voice booms through the house.

Tears start to roll down your face harder. _Maybe under the bed will work._ You shuffle under the bed and move some things in front of you to hide you better. _Please go away._ You hear him stop in your doorway. You look over and see his boots. You hear another pair of feet tapping lightly behind him. Mom's heels stop right next to him. _Mom please don't._ "Darling. P-please. She doesn't deserve that ba-" 'SLAP'.

_Not again._ It's deathly silent for a few seconds. "YOU DON'T HAVE A SAY IN THIS YOU BITCH. _'SLAP'_ SHE PROBABLY DID THIS BECAUSE OF YOU! _'SLAP'_ YOUR IDIOTIC MIND PROBABLY GOT PASSED DOWN TO HER." He slaps her again and you see her feet start to shuffle around off the ground.

You feel your heartbeat in your ears. _Please stop hurting Mom!_ You scramble out from under the bed as fast as you can. "Stop! Stop hurting Mommy! It's not her fault! I was the one who did it! I-I did bad on the test." You grab his arm and try to pull him away.

He lets go of her neck. She gasps for air while he grabs you and flings you into the wall, knocking the wind out of you. "There you are, you little SHIT. WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT GETTING B'S?! Do you know what I have to do now? You stupid little bastard. " He picks you up by the hair.

You start to cry harder and grab at his hand. "D-DADDY PLEASE NO N-NO! I-I'LL DO BETTER I PROMISE! I'M SORRY! P-PLEASE!" You screech while flailing around trying to get away.

He pulls you out into the living room. "You can't undo what you've already done! Now stop struggling like an annoying little brat and just take the godDAMN punishment!" He drops you onto the floor harshly, in between the table and the couch.

_Please stop._ You curl up as he hovers over you for a split second. "Wait here you ungrateful little brat." He nearly growls as he hovers over you.

He turns to go walk into the kitchen. The sound of his boots shuffle off. You lean against the couch and curl in on yourself further. _I didn't mean to do bad on the test. I just didn't study enough. I need to do better. Why are you so dumb. I'm such a idiot._ The tears slow as they roll down your face, adding to the increasing headache. _This is my fault. I shouldn't be crying._ "HEY." You flinch and glance up to his pissed face. "I told you not to move!" He stomps over again and grabs you by the back of the neck.

He lifts you up pulling you toward him. "Do you remember what happened last time you moved when you weren't supposed to?!" He harshly sets you back on the ground making you stand shakily.

He keeps all his weight on your shoulder. _Please no…_ he uses his free hand to punch into your stomach. _I'm sorry._ You cry out and your legs crumple forward. He holds you up by your shoulder and tightens his grip. "Now. About that B." His grin widens cruelly.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You jerk awake and snap your eyes open. Gripping your side you try to slow your breathing and heart rate. After a second you touch the top of your head lightly. The sweat from your head soaks your hand. _It was just a dream. I'm fine. It's ok. I am safe._ You sit up and wipe your face and hand off with your shirt. _Let's see what's on TV. That should take my mind off things._

You take a deep breath and try to relax a little. You grab the remote and turn the TV on. "-oday at the heart of Ebott city another riot has left the city's streets looking completely destroyed." The news women starts to drone on half heartedly about the damage that was caused.

_Another riot. How lovely._ You think bitterly. Sighing and running your hands through your hair. You turn your attention to the tv. The screen shows a part of town with windows smashed, spray paint, and garbage littered everywhere. _Why is humanity like this? I truly will never understand._ Turning the TV off and stretching your legs you start to think. _It's been around like, 6 months since they've come from the underground, why can't people just accept them? They don't seem as bad as us._

You lay down on the floor next to your fur baby. You sigh deeply as you turn to look at him. You watch his fluffy orange fur go up and down with each breath. _My little sunshine._ "Sully why are humans the way they are?" You ask him softly.

He turns his fluffy head to you. You reach to pet him and he meets you halfway by head bumping your hand. He purrs in response. "If only people were more like you. The world would be so much better." Grabbing him gently, you pull him close and continue to pet his soft fur.

After contemplating humanity and petting him for a bit longer, you decided that you should probably check your mail before it gets too late. You check your phone, _7:12_ . _I need to feed Sole._ Getting up you to head to the door while slipping on some shoes and your favorite hoodie. _I'm so glad I still have this old thing._ You smile for a brief minute before pushing the memories away for now.

You grab the door handle and wave goodbye to Sole. You slip out the door and start making your way down the hall. As you walk by the other rooms you hear different things from each one. Cheering, lewd noises, video games, partying. _Everyone seems a little loud for a Thursday._ You continue through the dorm humming to yourself as you make it to the front.

As you grab the key to your mailbox and reach to unlock it, you hear some chattering coming your way and throw your hood up. You inhale the earthy smell from the black hoodie and continue on with what you're doing. You grab your packages from inside and turn around to head back. _Yes! They all came!_ You glance up only to see a white shirt as you run smack into someone and fall to the ground, dropping all of your things. _Geez I'm such a klutz._ "Oh! I-i am so sorry I didn't see you there. I must have been spacing off." You lower your head and start to pick up your things.

You mentally curse yourself as you grab what you can. You hear them shuffle around. "OH. NOT TO FEAR SMALL HUMAN! I AM NOT BOTHERED BY YOUR BUMP. I AM PLENTY STRONG TO NOT BE AFFECTED!" The, apparently loud, guy you bumped into kneels down and starts to help you pick up your things.

You flinch at the sudden loudness. _Did he just call me a 'small human'?_ You take a quick glance up at him and feel your eyes widen. _He's a skeleton. A monster._ You knew that they were some that lived and went to your college, but you have never had the chance to talk to one. He looks at you and his smile seems to widen. _How is he smiling? Bones don't move like that._ You both finish picking everything up and he hands everything back to you. "WOULD YOU CARE FOR SOME ASSISTANCE GETTING UP SMALL HUMAN?" He offers one of his red gloved hands to you with an encouraging smile.

You smile weakly back at him and take his hand. He pulls you to your feet quicker than you thought and causes you to stumble for a second. "T-thank you." You say softly as you regain your balance.

You look up to him and see his smile grow. _He must be almost seven feet tall!_ He let's go of your hand as you marvel at his height. "BUT OF COURSE, IT WAS NO PROBLEM FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" He says proudly, pulling you out of your memorized state.

_The great Papyrus?_ Your smile grows a little as you put your keys into your pocket. You take a step back to better look at him. The first thing to catch your eye was a vibrant red scarf that he had on. He was wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans. You glanced down to see his red shoes were shuffling around. _Is he nervous?_

You look back to his face and raise your free hand up to him. "Well thank you anyway Papyrus I appreciate it anyway. I'm Marceline, it's nice to meet you!" Your smile at him grows.

He looks stunned for a moment before grabbing your hand again and shaking it vigorously. "IT IS SO NICE TO MEET YOU HUMAN MARCELINE! I'M GLAD TO HAVE MET YOU." He let's go of your hand and smiles brightly.

He leans down slightly and begins to continue on. "I ACTUALLY WAS HOPING THAT YOU COULD HELP ME! YOU SEE I AM LOOKING FOR MY NEW ROOM." You see orange sweat beads start to roll down his skull.

_How is he sweating?_ "Oh! Yes of course, do you know what room number it is?" You are glad that you have started to grow used to his loud voice already if he was going to be living here.

He seems to relax a bit and straightens up "I BELIEVE IT IS DORM ROOM 247. DO YOU KNOW WHERE THAT IS?" He states and asks proudly while glancing down at a paper.

You laugh lightly. You begin to walk slowly to your dorms. _Lucky, he gets a corner room_. "Yeah I know where that room is. You're right next to my room I believe." Hopefully he isn't too loud at night.

He quickly starts to follow you. "WOWIE! I AM NEXTDOOR TO MY NEW ACQUAINTANCE! HOW WONDERFUL!" He seems to almost be screaming now.

_Wowie? Lord he is such a cinnamon roll._ You push your finger to your face to shush him. "You have to be a little quieter Papyrus. Some people here are studying around this time." You look up to him as he struts next to you.

An orange color blooms over his face and he rubs the back of his neck. _Is… is that him blushing?_ "OH SORRY HUMAN MARCELINE. I AM JUST SO HAPPY TO BE LIVING NEXT TO SOMEONE SO NICE. A NICE HUMAN NO LESS!" He points into the air victoriously.

Laughing again you slow down to a stop as you reach your doors. _Has he not lived near nice people?_ "Well this is my room here," You point over to your door. "And I believe that this is your room right here!" You finish while gesturing to his door.

He pulls a key from his pocket and smiles while opening his door. "THANK YOU SO MUCH HUMAN MARCELINE, I APPRECIATE IT GREATLY! I MUST ALSO APOLOGIZE THOUGH FOR I WILL BE MOVING SOME OF MY THINGS IN TOMORROW AND IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE NOISY." He smile dims a little.

You lean against your door and smile back at him. "Don't worry dude, I don't mind at all, if you need any help moving in then I'm right next door." You say while walking back to your door. "Anyway I think I'm going to make me and Sully some dinner. Have a goodnight Papyrus."

You open your door and turn back to him. "GOODNIGHT TO YOU AS WELL HUMAN MARCELINE! I HOPE TO MEET THIS FRIEND SULLY OF YOURS. THANK YOU AS WELL FOR YOUR OFFER! I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO HELP!" You look back at him to smile as he ducks into his room.

_Well hopefully he likes cats then if he wants to meet Sully._ You walk into your room only for Sole to rub against your legs. You pick him up and drape him around your shoulders like a scarf. He begins to purr and knead the air. You continue to walk before a loud knock comes from your door. _What?_ You open the door only to see Papyrus again. "HUMAN! I ALMOST FORGOT TO ASK! MAY I HAVE YOUR NUMBER SO THAT WE MAY STAY IN CONTACT?" He asks you giddily while holding his phone.

His smile falls and he looks at you concerned, not saying anything. "P-papyrus? Is something wrong?" You take a small step back.

He opens and closes his mouth a few times before speaking. "UH… you are aware of the beast on your neck right?" He lowers his voice to a normal speaking voice while pointing at Sole.

_Is that his whisper?_ Sole looks up at Papyrus "Mew!" Sole starts to purr louder at Him.

His _sockets?_ grow wider. You smile up at him nervously. "Papyrus, this is Sully. W-well his real name is Sole, but I call him Sully sometimes. He's my pet cat." You take a small breath. 

His face goes back to normal. "OH! WELL IF THAT IS THE CASE THEN HELLO PET CAT SOLE! IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" He reaches out to shake hands with Sole.

Sole bumps his head against Papyrus's hand. "I'm sorry Papyrus, Sully is only a cat, he doesn't know how to shake hands. He does seem to like you though!" Sole bumps Papyrus's hand again expectantly. "I think he wants you to pet him." You slowly start edge forward.

_You're fine. It's ok._ You partially force a smile up at him. "OH, WELL THEN I SHALL DO EXACTLY THAT! NYEH HEH HEH!" He starts to scratch Soles chin softly.

_'Nyeh heh heh'? Is… is that his laugh? I was totally right. He is a cinnamon roll._ You grab your phone from your pocket and open up your contacts list. "So Papyrus... do you still want my number?" You ask hesitantly.

He turns back to you and smiles brightly. "WHY OF COURSE! I NEARLY FORGOT! HERE IS MY NUMBER!" He hands you his phone and you put your number in his and his in yours.

_I think I'll put his name as 'Papy', it suits him as a nickname._ "Well I still need to make food for me and Sole. I will see you later Papyrus, sleep well." You grab the door handle and start to push it slightly.

He turns to his door. "TO YOU AS WELL! GOODNIGHT HUMAN MARCELINE AND CAT SOLE!" He waves to you both and goes back to his room.

You close the door and sigh. _Well. That was something._ You put Sole down and run your fingers through your hair. _I guess I have a new friend now? Well he_ _did_ _say_ acquaintance. _But he seems nice at least. I hope I don't mess anything up… I wouldn't doubt that people here have been nothing but rude to him. He doesn't deserve more assholes in his life._

You huff and walk into the kitchen. _Well maybe I could be his friend. That would be nice. It's been awhile since I've had one._ You smile to yourself. "How about we get some food in you. How's that sound bud?" You walk over and grab his cat food.

He starts to rub against your legs as you pour some cat food in his bowl. _Ramen sounds good for dinner tonight._

_*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*_

'Brother! I have met a potential friend!'

'that's gr8 paps.'

'what r they like?'

'Well her name is Marceline, she kind of reminds me of Alphys. She seems very shy, but she is very nice! She helped me find my room, and she also is helping me move in tomorrow!'

'well she sounds nice. i'm guessing that shes a human?'

'Yes, but she is not like the humans from my last dorm. She is a lot nicer and she has yet to say anything rude to me!'

'well hopefully she isnt like the others.'

'I'm sure she isn't brother! Do not worry! Anyway I must head to bed, the Great Papyrus needs his beauty sleep! Sleep well brother!'

'gnight paps, ill see you tomorrow. sleep well too.'


	2. Moving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You help Papyrus move, meeting interesting monsters, and get into trouble! All in a days work!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some harassment and a little violence. and some racist words.... sorry

'Bzz bzz' You open your eyes and groan.  _ Who is texting me this early? I was sleeping so well. _ You pout to yourself.

You lift your head from your pillow and look over at your phone.  _ 8:41. Why? Who? _ You look at the notification name. _ Papy. He is an early riser. _ Rubbing yours eyes, you roll over on your back and unlock your phone. 'Dear human Marceline, I request the help you offered with moving some boxes into my new room. It would be very helpful if you could. And if I might tempt you further then I will even make you some lunch! -Papyrus

You smile to yourself and text back 'I would love to come help. Just tell me what time and I'll be there. I have the day off today!' You send the text and start to doze off again. 'Bzz bzz'  _ I just want to sleep! _ You eternally groan. You look at your text. 'Well my friends should be here with my things around 10! So anytime around then will work!'  _ Why so soon? Are all his friends early risers? _

You get out of bed and start to get ready. Opening up your drawers.  _ What should I wear? _ You grab a random grey shirt.  _ Blank is better than something weird.  _ You think as you look at all your other shirts. You open another drawer.  _ Some rose colored yoga pants will match this. _ You change clothes and walk out to the kitchen.

_ Pop Tarts sound good right now. _ You grab some and start to eat them.  _ I should probably do something for a bit before I head over. Still is a little early. _ You continue munching on your breakfast and sit down on the couch.  _ Maybe some doodling? Doodles sound good. _ You grab your sketchbook and pencil and start to think.

_ How about a drawing of Sole again. _ You turn to look at him laying down next to you.  _ Perfect challenge, twister cat. _ Taking a picture for later, you began to get a general rough draft down.  _ He truly is the perfect model. _

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soak up the sun starts to play from your phone pulling you out of drawing trance. You glance down at your phone. _'Time to water plants.'_ _Oh yeah that's probably a good plan. And I believe I have enough time to do that._ You check the time and turn the alarm off. _9:20, perfect. I have enough time to water my plant babies._ You set down your half finished sketch of Sole and walk over to your window. _First the ferns and flowers, then the aloe, then cactuses, the succulents, and then lastly the funky little guys._ You go through your list of plants while humming the rest of the song.

After you're done you walk over to your bathroom and brush your teeth and hair.  _ Maybe I should grow my hair out again?  _ You pet the slightly curly waves of your hair. The way the light hits it makes it look like it has gold stripe in your dark brown.  _ I don't think I'd want to deal with anything past my collarbone though. _ You laugh at yourself.  _ I'm too lazy to deal with anything longer. _ You slip some running shoes on and slip on a brown sweater. You check the time.

_ 9:53, perfect. Always good to be a little early. _ You wave to Sole and walk out the door.  _ Hopefully I can just help him and go about my day. He seems so nice. _ You close the door behind you before turning to see Papyrus walking out his own door. He is wearing a tank top that says 'cool dude' on it and black shorts. "OH HUMAN MARCELINE! GOOD MORNING! I HOPE THAT YOU SLEPT WELL!" He walks over to you smiling cheerfully.

"Good morning Papyrus! I slept good. How about yourself?" You return his smile.

He starts to walk to the front and you walk by his side. "I SLEPT VERY WELL! THANK YOU FOR ASKING HUMAN MARCELINE." He looks over at you to smile again.

_ Does he always smile? _ You both get to the front to see a couple of other monsters waiting by the door. Another skeleton in a white shirt and black shorts with two white stripes down the side. He looks over at Papyrus and smiles. He is shorter than Papyrus, but still decently taller than you. He also seems more  _ sturdy? _ Papyrus walks over and begins to chatter with him.

A blue fish lady swings an arm around his neck and starts to noogie him. He yells protests as she laughs. Her crimson red hair contrasts her scales in a weird but beautiful way.  _ She looks so fit! _ You look at her muscles that she shows off in her black tank top and dark blue jeans.  _ Does she have an eyepatch? _ You look at her closer and see that she, in fact, does.  _ Huh.  _ She has webbed fingers and fins for ears that have the same red color as her hair on the webbing. A smaller looking yellow monster pulls on her arm lightly trying to get her to stop.

She has a anime shirt on and a pastel blue skirt.  _ Is she a lizard monster or a dinosaur monster? _ You glance at her head shape, tail, and claws.  _ No idea. _ She gets the fish lady to stop messing with Papyrus and glances over to you. She adjusts her glasses and whispers to Papyrus. "OH! THIS IS MY NEW NEIGHBOR! HER NAME IS MARCELINE! SHE IS GOING TO HELP US!" He takes a step towards you and guides you to the group.

You feel a sweat creeping down your neck.  _ Oh crap. _ They all look over at you. You fiddle with your sleeve.  _ Just breathe. _ You take in a deep breath. "H-hello! I'm Marceline, like Papyrus said heh. Who are all of you?" You look at them all quickly.

The fish lady jumps up to you and grabs one of your hand forcefully in one motion. You jump and pull your hand back as fast as you can. You stumble and feel Papyrus catch you by your arms. "UNDYNE YOU MUST BE CAREFUL WITH THE SMALL HUMAN. YOU HAVE STARTLED THEM!" He nudges you forward to 'Undyne'.

You glance up at her and see she is a little shocked and hurt. You stick your hand towards her. She stares at you with her yellow, cat-like, eye. "S-sorry, I've been told that I can be jumpy…" You scratch the side of your head and smile weakly at her.

She grabs your hand slightly softer. "Don't worry about it punk! I'm Undyne, it's nice to meet ya!" Her voice is loud and tough sounding, it's no were near as loud as Papyrus but definitely more threatening.

She let's go of your hand and points to the yellow dinosaur girl. "And this is my amazing and beautiful girlfriend Alphys!" She smiles warmly at her. 

_ Her teeth are so sharp! _ You look towards her girlfriend Alphys who has a light blush across her scales. She waves to you. "H-hello, I'm Alphys l-like Und-undyne said. It's nice t-to make your acqu-acquaintance." She smiles weakly at you.

Her voice is soft but kinda nerdy sounding. You muster a kind smile to her. She seems to relax a tiny bit. You turn to look at the other skeleton. He stands staring at you with a weird face.  _ He seems to be spacing off.  _ You wave to him and he continues to stare at you. "BROTHER! SAY HELLO TO THE SMALL HUMAN!" Papyrus puts his hands on his hip bones.

_ I'm not that small. _ You try to focus on what Papyrus said. His brother blinks and clears his throat. A faint blue color creeps across his cheek bones.  _ Blush? _ "oh uh, the names sans. sans the skeleton." He offers a hand for you to shake.

His voice is much deeper and quieter than his brothers. You shake his hand and feel his hand tighten slightly. A warmth comes from his hand that shocks you.  _ How is he so warm? _ You go to pull your hand back and notice he tightens it harshly before letting you go. You jump slightly. "W-well it's nice to meet you Sans." Your smile dims slightly at him.

You look into his eyes and see you white lights in them. They widen when they meet yours.  _ Are they like pupils? They look like fairy lights.  _ "yeah, likewise." He says quietly.

_ Sans, Undyne, and Alphys. I can remember that. _ You smile at them all again. "WELL NOW THAT YOU ALL KNOW EACH OTHER LET US GET TO THE TASK AT HAND!" Papyrus says happily.

He walks towards the door and opens it for everyone to walk through. You wait for everyone to go first and follow.  _ Did I do something to make Sans mad? _ A van sits right by the front entrance as close to the door as aloud. Undyne walks up to it and opens the back doors.  _ Well. That's a lot of boxes. _ You all walk up as Undyne starts to hand out boxes.

Papyrus has a big box with two smaller ones on top, Alphys a smaller one, and Sans…  _ where did he go?  _ "How much do you think you can lift?" Undyne looks you up and down real quick.

You look back to her and think.  _ When was the last time I paid any attention to that? _ "Um probably something decent. I'm not totally sure how much I can lift." You say while you look at all the boxes. Stepping forward you point to a box labeled 'books'. "I think I could probably lift that one." You take another step forward.

She looks at you weirdly for a second before shrugging and handing you the box. You shuffle around to get a good grip. "Thank you." You flash her puzzled face a small smile and walk off with the box.

The door is being held open by  _ a pink slipper? Who was wearing that? _ You look at it for a second before walking the rest of the way to Papyrus's room. When you get there Papyrus is standing in the doorway with a box. He turns to look at you. "HUMAN! WHY ARE YOU CARRYING THAT BOX! IT LOOKS MUCH TO HEAVY FOR YOU? DO YOU NEED HELP?" Papyrus sets his boxes down and walks over to you.

You look up to him and smile. "Don't worry about it Papyrus, it's not too heavy for me." You shuffle closer to the door. "But it would help to know where to put these." You look into the room.

He walks over to his boxes and picks them up. "WELL THEN FOLLOW ME HUMAN MARCELINE!" He starts to walk into his dorm room.

You quickly follow after him. "You know Papyrus you can just call me Marceline. Or you could even call me Marcy. I-if you really wanted." You say timidly.

He stops walking and drops his boxes.  _ Did I say something wrong?  _ "D-DOES THAT MEAN THAT WE ARE FRIENDS THEN?!" He turns quickly to look at you.

He grabs your shoulders. You flinch at his quickness. He is beaming and his eyes look like they have stars in them.  _ How are they doing that? _ "I-i-if you wanted to be! N-not that you ha-have to, bu-AAH!" He picks you up making you yell and drop your box.

"I WOULD BE HAPPY TO BE YOUR FRIEND!" He jumps around with you in his arms.

_ He is squeezing me too hard. _ You feel like he is squeezing the life out of you.  _ I need out. _ You pat him lightly on the shoulder. "Well I'm gl-glad you want to be friends Papyrus, but I would like to be put down please." You feel the fear building up in your mind.

You start to more quickly pat his shoulder. He gently sets you down and beams at you. "SORRY HU- MARCY, I AM JUST EXCITED TO HAVE MADE A FRIEND HERE! I AM SURE WE WILL BE THE BEST OF FRIENDS! NYEH HEH HEH!!" He picks his boxes back up and walks off.

_ What just happened? I made a friend and almost freaked out. Has he not made many other friends?… wait, was I supposed to follow him? _ You focus back to reality and see Sans walking towards you. "hey are you alright? It looked like he spooked you down to the  _ bone _ ." He stands a fair distance from you.

You stare at him for a second before breathing a laugh. "Nice one." You say as you start to pick up the box. "You are pretty  _ humerus _ ." You try to hold in more giggles.

His eyes grow slightly brighter as he laughs. "well marceline I have to say I didn't take you for having a  _ funny bone _ in your body." He seems to relax slightly.

_ When did he get tense. _ You laugh again. "Well I might have to go  _ skull _ -k if I don't seem as funny as I thought." You say leaning back on your leg.

You hear Papyrus stomp back. "BAH! BOTH OF YOU STOP WITH YOUR PUN! HUMAN MARCY I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE BETTER THAN THIS." He throws his hands up in defeat.

_ Oh he must not like puns. _ "oh come on paps, throw her a  _ bone _ . show a little  _ marcy _ ." He throws a wink your way.

You start to giggle more as Papyrus stomps a foot like a little kid. "HUMAN MARCY COME WITH ME. HE IS A TERRIBLE INFLUENCE. I WILL SHOW YOU WHERE TO PUT THE BOOKS." He starts to walk off.

You smile at Sans and quickly follow Papyrus.  _ Sans seems nice. And pretty funny. I wonder why he seemed upset earlier. _ You smile for a second more before stopping at the bed room. Papyrus has a couple other boxes in here already. "YOU CAN PUT THEM OVER THERE BY THE BOOKSHELF!" He states before putting his own boxes down.

You walk over to the bookshelf and set the box down lightly before turning and walking out of his bedroom. You see Sans sitting on the couch unpacking a couple boxes that weren't there before.  _ He must be fast or something. _ He pulls out pots and pans.  _ Oh Papyrus must like to cook too! _ Sans looks up at you, catching you staring.

You flush and walk out of the room quickly.  _ I should grab some more boxes. _ You hum to yourself as you walk back to the van. Alphys passes by you with another box. You smile at her and she shyly smiles back. You begin to mumble hum the words to 'I walk the line by Johnny Cash'. You look at the van to see a good amount was gone.

_ When have they been moving this? I feel like I would have seen them. _ Undyne looks down at you and squats down from the van. "Sorry punk all the light stuff has been taken already. The rest of it is really heavy. Me and Papyrus are gonna do all the REAL work." She stands back up to grab a box for herself.

_ Well the books weren't all that heavy… _ "I-I'm sure I could carry a couple boxes before it would wear me out."  _ I have nearly done nothing so far. _ "Besides I'm pretty strong!" You hold your arms up and flex while laughing.

She smiles at you. "Well then! If you think you got what it takes then go for it punk!" She turns and hands you a box.

_ God these are heavy. What did he pack?! _ Your legs shake at the new weight for a second before you push yourself forward.  _ Just gotta keep going. _ After every couple steps you need to readjust your grip and almost fall twice. You feel a sweat build on your neck as you get halfway there. Alphys passes by you again. "D-do you need he-help? That l-looks p-pretty heavy." She asks while following you.

"O-oh no I'm fine! Just a little heavier than I thought it was. Thank you though!" You smile at her again before walking forward.

You push on forward and try to think of anything else than the weight of the box. You glance over the box again before you see someone walking in front of you. You stop as quickly as you can so you don't run into them. The sudden stop makes you wobble for a second. "Hey! Watch it! You could have knocked me over!" A high pitched Male voice called out.

_ Colin. Of course he's here. _ "S-sorry I didn't see you till the last second." You say while trying to walk around him.

_ I'm surprised I didn't see your ego first.  _ You feel a snag on the collar of your sweater. "Oh it was just you  _ Marcy _ ~ It's no problem at all!" He grabs your chin and turns you to him.

He takes a step closer. "But of course you could always make it up if you wanted~" He takes a quieter and more seductive tone.

Your face flushes.  _ Get away you gross gremlin man whore. _ You jerk your head back and turn to walk away. "I-if what you are implying what I-I think, then I don't think you need an apology period." You turn and walk away.

_ Please just give up.  _ You feel him harshly grab your arm. You jump and look at him. He laughs in a weird way. "Oh I always love it when you get all feisty and act brave." He pulls you to him so that your back is pushing on his chest.

_ Fuck. Don't cry. _ You inhale sharply. "Colin i-if you don't let me go right now th-then I'm going to scream at the top of my lungs." You say as you try to look him dead in his piercing blue eyes.

Something about them has always unnerved you.  _ Why me? With how you look and act, other girls must love you.  _ He looks startled but smiles at you again. "Well if you have to play hard to get then I guess I'll abide by the rules." He lets your arm go slowly.

You walk away as fast as you can. You feel tears growing in your eyes.  _ This box was too heavy. _ You reach Papyrus's room and put the box down. "He-hey S-s-sans? Do yo-you know w-where this box goes." You ask quickly.

_ Calm the hell down. Nothing that bad happened. _ He glances up at you before snapping his head back up.  _ Shit. I must look as shaken as I feel. _ "uh yeah, it goes in the bedroom too. are you ok? you look even worse from earlier. n-no offense or anything but yo-'' You raise a hand.

You hold the box up on one leg.  _ Keep it together. _ You take a breath. "I-I'm fine. Don't worry about it." You muster the best smile you can.

He looks at you weirdly before you mutter a thank you and walk to the bed room. Papyrus walks out the door and looks at you with wide sockets. "YOU SEEM TO BE MUCH STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT MARCY! GREAT JOB!" He says as he lightly pats you on the back.

He walks out and you set the box down by the table.  _ What was even in there? _ You turn it to see what was written.  _ Computer/computer stuff. Oh. Lucky me… _ You mentally sigh as you take your sweater off.  _ Don't want it getting sweaty. _ You tie it around your waist and walk back out to the hall. You hear Papyrus talking to someone else.

_ Who is that? _ The closer you get the angrier the other voice sounds. You start to walk faster towards them. You turn the corner to see Colin almost yelling at Papyrus. He is going off on how monsters shouldn't be allowed here, and how he was paying good money to go to this college.  _ Colin. Why are you the source of my problems today?  _ You walk up and stand beside Papyrus.

He looks very upset. He is fiddling with his gloves and glancing around quickly.  _ Don't worry, I got you buddy. _ "What's going on here?" You ask flatly.

Papyrus looks down at you startled. Colin does the same. His shock wears off quickly and goes back to looking pissed. He pushes his brown hair back and a huff. "I just can't understand Why they would let fucking MONSTERS live WITH us. It's disgusting." He crosses his arms and looks at Papyrus with disgust and hatred.

_ Ah. Just more to add onto the list of reasons to hate you. _ You see Papyrus take a step back. You tap on his arm to get his attention again. "Papyrus. Please go to the van real quick. I'll join you in a second." You say softly but firmly.

You pat him lightly on the arm. He looks like he is about to say something but he seems to decide against it and just nods. You wait for him to walk away from the two of you. "So why does it bother you so much that he is moving into a dorm that you don't even live in?" You cross your arms and glare at him.

He puffs up. "Why am I bothered?! They're a monster! They are nothing but scum!" He takes a step towards you flailing wildly with his hands as he talks. "Why are you even defending it huh? You could be doing so much better things with those pretty lips." He lowers his voice and reaches towards your face.

You take a step back out of his reach.  _ God you're disgusting on the inside. _ "Colin can you just leave please. We have work to be done and you're getting in the way." You continue glare at him.

He seems to freeze. He then smiles at you with a lust covered face. "Why? I just want to feel your emerald eyes on me. Can't you ditch that disturbing bone bag and come ' _ work'  _ with me?" He leans very close to you.

You hear footsteps coming towards you. You puff up at him and glare daggers at him. "The only disturbing person here is you. I would rather spend all of my time with any monster then spend another second with you. Now you can leave or I can call security on you and say you're harassing the people who live here." You take a threatening step towards him.

His lustful smile falls into a tight pissed off frown. "Well. If you're going to be such a monster fucking bitch then maybe you are a waist of my fucking time!" He grabs you tightly by the shoulder.

He raises his hand, making you flinch. "Should have known why you always rejected me. You'd have to be insane to not want me." He slaps you. Loudly.


	3. Threat, hang out, dinner, and whoopsie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some well deserved butt kicking, you hang out with the group. what could go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some violence at the start, angst and wholesomeness in the middle, and whoopsie near the end.

The sting vibrates through your face causing tears to wield up in your eyes. Your brain starts to feel like static. You hear the footsteps rushing towards you both. You hear Papyrus yell in an upset tone. You snap back to reality. "What? You want a beating too? You disgusting freaks." He spits out in a harsh and hateful tone.

Before you can think you pull back from him as harshly as you can. He turns to look at you shocked as you swing your entire body into punching him in the face. He stumbles backwards and hits the other wall. You catch yourself from falling and walk to him. "If you ever. Ever. Ever.  **Ever** .  **Threaten** him, or any of them again. I will do more than punch your sorry ass in the face. I can deal with your horny bullshit, but I will not let you be a jackass to nice people. They don’t deserve that." You grabbed him by the collar and drag him to your face.

_ Racist bully. Why was I ever scared of someone so cowardly? Blood _ is gushing out his nose and onto his  _ probably _ very expensive shirt and your hand. Fear fills his eyes that have already started to bruise. "Now I will ask you one last time to leave.  **Now** . I don't want to see your ugly face in this dorm ever again." You finish and let go of his shirt.

He looks at you wide eyed and scrambles away from you. You watch him run as he hatefully glares at the others.  _ I'll come after you, you son of a bitch. _ You turn to run after him but get picked up in a tight hug. You flinch and cower and look up to see Papyrus holding you with a concerned look. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT MARCELINE?! THAT SOUNDED LIKE IT HURT!" He puts you down and grabs your face.

You flinch at his sudden pain for his touch. "AH! Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just hate people like him. Are you ok? He didn't say or do anything too bad to you right?" You grab his hand and move it away.

You hear the others catch up. "Damn punk! Could have held him down so I could have gotten in on the action!" She looks at you with an intimidating grin.

You smile weakly at her. "I-I didn't even re-realize what I did till it was done…" You admit quietly. 

_ I shouldn't have done that. _ Alphys steps closer to you while adjusting her glasses. "W-w-well thank you a-anyway M-marceline. S-some humans ar-aren't always the n-n-nicest… N-no o-offense!" She says quickly.

A bead of sweat rolls down her head. "It's ok Alphys. I understand that humans aren't very… accepting or nice." You pat her lightly on the shoulder.

Undyne flicks your hand away and you and Alphys laugh. "Don't worry Undyne, I'm not gonna steal your girl." She barks a laugh while keeping eye contact with you.

You lightly brush the left side of your face making you wince in pain. You look back at Papy to see him and Sans talking. "Hey Papyrus?" He turns to you quickly with a worried look in his eyes. "I need to take care of this real quick, b-but I can come back to help as soon as I'm done." You look down at the ground shamefully.

_ He's gonna think you're using it as an excuse to get out of helping. _ He kneels down towards you. And holds you in a tight hug. Your eyes widen in surprise. "Of course Marceline. But if you would rather I could heal it for you." He says softly. Well more like an inside voice.

_ He can do that? _ "B-but isn't it illegal for you guys to use your magic on humans?" He holds you at his arms length.

_ I don't want him to get in trouble. _ "WELL NOT IF I HAVE A PROBABLE CAUSE, LIKE PROTECTING SOMEONE! AND I THINK THIS IS PROTECTING YOU AFTER THE DAMAGE WAS DONE! NYEH HEH!" He makes a 'heroic' face, but you can see worry that is still there.

You laugh lightly at him.  _ Why are you so nice to me? I haven't done anything for you too. _ "If you don't get in trouble and it doesn't harm you in any way then sure. After we are done moving the boxes." You pat him lightly on the arm before.

He seems to think it over for a second. He stands up and points into the air. "WELL THEN WE MUST HURRY UP AND FINISH OUR WORK! I WOULD STILL LIKE FOR YOU TO TAKE CARE OF THAT THOUGH." He smiles at you and pats your shoulder before starting to walk off.

_ It's not that bad. _ "Papyrus I can still help, it's not that bad, rea-" He cuts you off when he turns to you with a motherly scowl.

"I WILL HAVE NONE OF THAT. I WOULD STRONGLY PREFER THAT YOU TAKE CARE OF THAT INSTEAD PLEASE." He looks at you with stern but pleading eyes.

_ Why is it impossible to say no to you?  _ You groan eternally. You sigh and run a hand through your hair. "Alright. I will. But if I finish before you guys are done then I'm helping." You see a gleam in Undyne and Papyrus's eyes.

Undyne beams at you with excitement. "Challenge accepted pip squeak." You can almost feel the competitiveness radiating off of her.

_ Oh crap. _ They run down that hallway laughing loudly.  _ Joy… _ Alphys and Sans laugh to themselves. You turn to walk to your room.  _ What a weird day. _ You go to reach for your phone.  _ No pockets. I forgot it in my room… Did I lock my door? _ You quicken your pace in panic. You reach your door and open it.  _ Oh thank god. _

You walk in to hear Sole munching on some food. You drop your sweater on the couch and walk to the bathroom.  _ I still have his blood on my hands. Ew. _ You wash your hands in the sink. Your right hand aches with pain.  _ Definitely not broke, but still hurts like hell. _ You watch as the blood swirls in the water.

_ I shouldn't have hit I'm. I'm such a horrible person. _ You look up in the mirror.  _ Tear stains? When did I cry? _ You look at the bruise forming on your face.  _ No. I shouldn't feel bad. He was harassing Papyrus. _ You lightly touch it while walking to the kitchen.  _ Oh theres my phone!  _ You pick it up from the counter. 

You walk over to the freezer.  _ Peas or corn? _ You open the freezer. You grab the first frozen bag you can find.  _ Peas it is.  _ You think for a second.  _ Maybe I should grab them some popsicles. _ You grab the bag of popsicles and shut the fridge.  _ Hopefully they all like them. _ You walk out the door and see Undyne running full speed into Papyrus's room with a mattress. You stumble back.  _ Wow. She is fast. _ You look inside to see Papyrus running out of the room. "AH! You guys are too fast!" You jump back again.

He sprints past you. "OF COURSE WE ARE! NYEH HE HEH!" He yells to you as he runs out the door.

Undyne follows in a hot pursuit. You quickly walk into his dorm and look around for the other two. You spot them sitting on the couch. You walk over to them.  _ Come to think of it… when did they get this furniture in here? _ You walk to them with the hand full of popsicles. "Mind if I sit here?" You ask to the both of them while gesturing to a chair.

They both say no and adjust so you can all talk. "I brought some popsicles if you want any." You set them down on the table. "Oh but be careful they can hurt the sides of your mouth with the plastic sometimes." You point to the corners of your mouth.

Alphys smiles to you. "Oh we-well thank you for t-the po-popsicles and the warn-warning." She says looking them over.

Sans leans forward as well. "what flavors are they?" You glances over to you and back to them.

You smile. "Oh that's easy. The red is cherry, the oranges are orange, the yellow are lemon, the greens are sour apple, the blues are blue raspberry, the purple is grape, and lastly the pinks are watermelon!" You say while opening the bag up. "But if you don't like sour stuff I would strongly suggest that you don't try the yellow or green. They are very sour." You say with a laugh.

Papyrus and Undyne come running in with boxes and run back out after a couple seconds. You remember the first time you had one and the face you made.  _ I wish I could have seen my face. _ Alphys grabs the red one and Sans grabs a green one.  _ I guess I'll go with a pink one. _ You bite the corner of it and rip just the top off of it. You spit it out in your hand and hold onto it, while Sans and Alphys just look at you.

Sans just bites the top off and spits out the plastic and puts it in his pocket. Alphys gets up and heads towards the kitchen.  _ Probably looking for scissors. _ You start to eat your popsicle quickly so that you can put the peas on your face. Alphys walks in with the top of hers cut off and a couple napkins. "So, how long do you think till they'll have everything in here?" You ask trying to start a conversation.

Sans laughs. "at the rate they are going then probably a couple minutes. they work pretty fast." Sans says before eating half of his popsicle. You stare at him for a second before laughing at the face he makes. "w-wow. you weren't lying about them being really sour. damn." He coughs a couple times.

You and Alphys laugh at him as he tries to get his face under control. You finish off yours and make small chit chat with them. They apparently both work at a nearby laboratory and Alphys goes to the college part time to learn more about humans. Just as you started explaining why you needed the bag of peas you hear Undyne and Papyrus running towards the door. They are both sweating profusely and carrying multiple boxes. "I think we beat her Papyrus." Undyne says triumphantly.

She looks over at you at Alphys and spots you. She squints. "Why're you holding a bag of peas to your face?" She and Papyrus walk over to you.

She leans on the chair with Alphys and rests her head on hers.  _ For being intimidating she can act pretty cute. _ "Oh I was just about to tell these two the same thing. But before anything, do you and Papyrus what a popsicle?" You open the bag and push a yellow one forward.

She grabs it and bites the plastic off. You turn to offer one to Papyrus and he grabs a pink one. You quickly turn back to Undyne.  _ Of course she picked the lemon. _ "So the reason I have a bag of peas is beca- Ah ha ha haa!" You burst out laughing.

Undyne bit into the popsicle and made the most epic face and then swallowed it whole. You all laugh as Alphys tries to hide hers and console her girlfriend. "You knew that was sour, didn't you, you prick?" She coughs out as she sends you with a playful glare.

You laugh again. "Should have asked." You smile at her before looking at all of them. "Now as I was saying, I'm holding a frozen bag of peas to my face because the cold from them helps keep the swelling down. Which is one, less work for Papyrus I'm assuming and two helps keep the pain away a little. I would normally do other things but because of Papyrus's s offer I'm not going to." You try to say as professional as possible. Alphys and sans seem to be thinking. While Papyrus is more of inspecting the bag of peas. "What do you want to see the bag?" You offer the bag to him.

He grabs your right hand and flips it over to the back of it. "WHY ARE YOUR KNUCKLES A DIFFERENT COLOR THAN THEY WERE EARLIER?" He asks while leaning in to get a better look. 

He touches your knuckles lightly making you jump. His eyes widen and he pulls back quickly. "W-well when I punched him I'm pretty sure i-i broke his no-nose…" You feel the guilt weld up in your gut like a stone. "That and normally when you punch anything that isn't soft or if you aren't used to it, then it will bruise. But if you hit another person you will bruise both them and you. Most the time." You take your hand back and place the bag of peas back to your face.

You try to avoid looking at the others directly. Sans leans forward. "do you take a class in something like this? you seem to know a lot about injuries." He asks in a flat like tone.

You feel that stone in your stomach get heavier.  _ They can't know. _ You shrink in on yourself a little. "N-no I don't take a class on that kind of stuff. B-but A-alphys will probably learn about it though in her class if she hasn't already. Have you learned about in-injurys yet?" You try to change the subject away from deeper questions about yourself.

She looks from Sans to you before talking. "U-uh n-n-no not yet. We are st-still learning about body chemistry. B-but what else wo-would you do if Pa-papyrus hadn't offered t-to help you?" You see a slight gleam in her eyes.

_ She must love to learn. _ "W-well normally I would take some painkillers, put a little bit of aloe on it to help soothe the skin, then drink some apple cider vinegar to make any bruising go away faster." You try to think back on your old routine.

_ Yeah that sounds about right. _ She thinks a little bit before saying anything. "D-doesn't apple cider vin-vinegar taste b-bad?" She asks very confused.

You laugh a little. "Oh it's terrible. Makes you want to puke if you drink too much. Smells bad too. But it works." You say as you watch her.

_ It's almost like I can see her taking mental notes. _ Undyne catches your eyes. "So does that mean that you've been sitting there in pain this whole time?" You nod. "Damn. Respect punk." She gives you a look of approval.

After a bit of silence Papyrus stands up. "SO! LET US NOW GET TO THE FIXING OF WHAT THAT MEAN HUMAN HAS DONE." He takes a step towards you and kneels down. "IT SHOULDN'T HURT AT ALL SO DO NOT WORRY! JUST HOLD STILL SO THAT I MAY CONCENTRATE." He says full of confidence.

He lifts his hands to cover your cheek and hand. You close your eyes.  _ He is very close. _ You feel a warmth coming off of his hands. It tingles under your skin and slowly ebbs the pain away. You open your eyes to see a light green  _ mist(?) _ come off of his hands and into your face.  _ It looks more concentrated then mist. Like glowing dye in water almost. _ You watch it in awe as it swirls around your face.

After a little longer he takes his hands off of you. "WOWIE HUMAN. YOU MUST HAVE HIDDEN THE PAIN WELL! YOUR FACE WAS MORE HURT THEN I THOUGHT!" He looks slightly tired.

_ That bastard did pack a decent slap… _ You touch your cheek and feel no pain.  _ Wow. _ You look at your hand and see no bruising and feel no pain in it either. "That… Papyrus that's amazing! I didn't know that healing magic was so efficient!" You marvel at it for a couple more seconds. "T-thank you so much! You are alright though, right?" You look at his even more tired face.

_ First unpacking and then healing. He must be tired. _ "I AM IN TIP TOP SHAPE. I AM MERELY JUST IN NEED OF A BREAK! DO NOT FEAR!" He sits back by Sans on the couch.

You check the time on your phone.  _ 1:43. Should probably eat lunch soon. _ You look back to all of them.  _ It's the least that I could do for Papyrus since he healed me. And I'm sure the others are hungry too. _ "Well if you all want to rest up, I could always make you all some lunch, if you wanted." You watch their eyes widen.

Papyrus and Undyne lean towards you. "YOU KNOW HOW TO COOK?!" They both yell at the same time.

You jump at their sudden loudness. "I-i mean I'm n-not the best cook, but I know how to cook a lot of things. W-why?" You watch them while you talk to try and make sure they don't yell again.

You fiddle with the bag of peas that you've rested on your lap. Undyne grips the chair and leans towards you even more. "Me and Paps love cooking! We are masters at it!" Her and Papyrus high five with big grins.  _ What have I gotten myself into. _ "But we would love to see what you'd whip up for us!" She turns her grin to you.

You managed a smile back to her. "S-so what would you guys want to eat?" You look at all of them.

Papyrus raises his hands into the air. "SPAGHETTI! IT IS BY FAR THE BEST DISH!" He says enthusiastically.

The others laugh and you do too. "Well I guess spaghetti it is. Anything else?" You look to the others.

They all make some gesture that shows that they don't or care.  _ Maybe some peas. _ You sit up and start to head towards the door. They all get up as well.  _ Oh. We're eating at my house. Alright then. _ "Fair warning my dorm room is messy." You say while grabbing the door knob.

Papyrus face turns into mild annoyance. "TRUST ME. IT IS NO WERE AS BAD AS MY BROTHERS ROOM. IT IS A DISASTER." He sends a pointed glare towards Sans.

You try not to laugh.  _ Poor guy. I understand that though. _ Everyone is standing in the hall waiting for you to open the door "Oh! Do any of you guys have any allergies?" You look at them for a response. Alphys looks like the only one to know what you're even talking about. "Do monsters not have allergies?" You ask Alphys.

She smiles a little. "S-some do but it's v-ve-very rare for one to have them. So most monsters d-don't even know what they are. But to a-a-answer your other qu-question no, no one in th-the group have a-al-allergies." She looks at you like she has many questions to ask you as well.

You smile at the new knowledge. "Well that's good!" You say before opening the door. "You guys can make yourselves at home in the living room if you want. Just ignore my sweater and other stuff." You say while holding the door open.

They all walk in and start to look around. You close the door behind you and make a loud clicking sound with your tongue. Sans and Undyne look at you weirdly while Alphys and Papyrus have looks of curiosity. You hear a long mew from the other room come your way. You squat down and wait. You see your ginger furball come trotting to you. "Hey cutie. Come here." You say while patting your shoulder.

He jumps up on your knee and climbs up on your shoulder at lays like a scarf in one fast movement. You stand up and lightly pet his tail. You turn and see Papyrus walking over. "CAT SOLE! IT IS VERY NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" He scratches Sole's chin.

Which makes Sole purr loudly. You wait for Papyrus to stop so that you can walk over to the others. They all look at you wide eyed. You giggle at their faces. "Guys, this is Sole, he's my pet cat. You can also call him Sully. He is super friendly so he won't hurt any of you. And if you want him to lay down with you guys just pat yourself, he is a huge cuddler." You say as he headbutts you trying to get affection. You lean into his head as he rubs against you.

They all are watching Sole with many different looks.  _ Guess they haven't seen a cat before like Paps. _ "Anyway, I'm going to get started on lunch." You gesture Papyrus over. He walks to you with a happy look. "You want to hold him for a bit?" You ask.

He nods excitedly. You lean towards him. Papyrus opens his hands. You pat his hands and Sole walks over. Papyrus makes a high pitched squeal sound that makes you laugh. You walk off towards the kitchen and hear footsteps follow. You turn to see Undyne and Papyrus following. "Papyrus, Sully can't come, he'll get hair in the food." You say as you watch his face fall. He nods and puts Sole on the couch.  _ Oh I'm sorry Paps. _ "So you guys are coming too because?" You ask while looking between them.

You watch them from the side of your eye as you grab your box of recipes and fish out your favorite. Undyne step forwards. "Because we want to see your technique! And ya never know, you could do something to it." She says sending you a glare.

_ I would never! _ You give her a hurt look before turning to grab everything you need.  _ Chicken, vodka sauce (non alcoholic), rigatoni, and a little cheese. _ You prepare everything to cook as the other two watch you like hawks. "I hate to ask but could one of you do something for me? I left my earbuds in the living room. Could you grab it for me please?" You say while starting to cut the chicken.

You hear someone jog away and back. Undyne puts it down next to you. You wipe your hands and plug them into your phone. You thank her and play your music.  _ Mister glassman, always a good one. _ You start to mumble the words to yourself as you zone out into cooking. After a while Papyrus asks, "WHAT ARE YOU SINGING? YOUR TOO QUIET TO HEAR!" You hear Papyrus say through your music.

_ Wow he is loud. _ "O-oh uh just ignore me. I didn't mean to sing out loud." You turn back to cooking red faced.

_ Should be done in 10 minutes. _ "BUT MARCELINE FROM WHAT LITTLE I COULD HEAR YOU SOUNDED GOOD!" He proudly says.

You laugh dryly. "And I would like to keep it to that little bit being heard. I'm really not that good." You say trying to focus on the food.  _ God I'm such a dick. _ "A-anyway the food should be ready in about ten minutes." You start to grab the plates.

You hear Undyne say something to Papyrus before walking up to you.  _ She is upset with me. _ "Hey punk, want us to set the table?" She smiles at you with open hands.

_ Oh. How nice. _ You thank her as you hand her the needed plates and Papyrus the silverware and cups. You finish up the food and walk to the table. You put the food on the table and walk back into the kitchen. "What do you guys want to drink?" You ask while peeking over the fridge.

Papyrus waves an arm. "OH I WOULD LIKE SOME MILK PLEASE!" He smiles.

Sans looks at you with a grin. "i'm feeling  _ sausey, _ do you have any ketchup?" You hear Papyrus groan.

_ Why Ketchup? Does he want it on the food? Ew. _ You look at him weirdly before nodding. "I-i'll just have a w-water please." Alphys says quietly.

You nod and look to Undyne. "You're 21 or older right?" She questions. You nod while filling their drinks. "Got any beer?" She asks as you walk back to the kitchen.

You shrug. "All I have is very few fruity stuff and a bottle of some really strong stuff. Not a big drinker." You open the fridge.

She looks at you weirdly. "I'll have some water too then. Don't want to start a party." She laughs.

You get her drink and sit with some water. You all start to put the food on your plates. You look to Sans to see him  _ drink _ the ketchup.  _ That. Is nasty. _ He catches you staring and winks at you. You blink and look away. You hear him chuckle. "WOWIE HUMAN! THIS FOOD IS AMAZING! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOU WERE AN AMAZING CHEF LIKE ME AND UNDYNE?!" He looks at you with stars in his eyes.

_ He has literal stars. In his eyes. How in the world does he keep doing that. _ You laugh. "I-it's not that good Papyrus. It's just something I taught myself over the years." You start to eat your food as well.

_ Just like it's always tasted. _ You watch the others take bites as well. "WOAH. Damn, Paps is right! Why didn't you say you could cook punk!?" She gives you a half hurt look.

Sans eyes grow after he tries a bite. "yeah, kid, this is really good." He continues to eat his food.

Alphys nods in agreement as she does the same. You all start to talk about spaghetti recipes for a bit over dinner, with a couple puns thrown in there here and there by mainly Sans and sometimes you. Apparently Undyne was self taught as well, and Papyrus learned from her.  _ They seem like great friends. _ Halfway through eating they continue to talk as you get lost in thought. You remember when you first made this.  _ Chris was so amazed. _

You smile at the memory.  _ You pushed the plate towards him with an eager smile. You worked on this recipe for weeks just for him. "You're not trying to poison me right? Only time you smile like that is when I've fallen for your pranks." He eyes the food cautiously. _

_ You laugh. "Well it's your fault for being so gullible! But I swear! No tricks this time. I made this for you!" You laugh as he sticks his tongue out at you. _

_ He takes a very.  _ _ Very _ _. Slow bite. He chews for a second before swallowing and putting the fork down. "You lied to me. You did trick me!" He says in a flat voice. Your eyebrows knit together. You could have sworn it would at least be good. He walks around the table and picks you up from behind. "You never told me that you were the next chief Ramsey!" He spins you around as you both laugh. _

_ "I'm not that good! Besides I'm only 12!" You giggle at him. _

You smile at your empty plate. You hear Papyrus say your name a couple time. "Oh sorry Papyrus. What is it?" You fix your smile up at him.

He smiles back at you. "AH WELL YOU SEE, ME AND SANS WHERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THE BED IN THE SPARE ROOM SHOULD BE NEAR THE WINDOW OR NEAR THE DOOR. WHICH DO YOU THINK IS BETTER?" He asks with a serious face.

_ He has a two room dorm to himself?! Lucky! _ You think about the question for a bit.  _ If it looks like his room at all then _ "I would say by the door. It makes more sense." You say after thinking over for a second.

Sans' smile grows as Papyrus looks slightly upset. "BUT IF YOU WERE BY THE WINDOW THEN YOU COULD LOOK OUT OF IT! THE DOOR MAKES NO SENSE." He says as he pouts

You try not to laugh. "True but if it's by the door then you have a quick way out and you can tell if someone is outside or nearby the door more easily." You say as you start to grab the empty plates.

Papyrus thinks it over for a second before sighing. "BAH. I GUESS YOU WERE RIGHT BROTHER. CLOSER TO THE DOOR IS BETTER." He moves to help you as well.

You hear Sans laugh a little. Glancing down at the bowl, you see that you made too much.  _ Well. Leftovers aren't the worst. _ "Hey do any of you want some of the leftovers?" You turn to the group to see them all nodding.

_ I'll take that as a yes! _ You smile and start to rinse off the dishes.  _ Something to do later. _ You check the time again.  _ 2:26. Should probably do some school work. _ You pack them all some tupperware full with dinner and set it infront of them all. They say their thank yous and get up.  _ This was a nice lunch. _ "Well I'm glad that you all enjoyed my cooking!" You say as you start to follow after them.

They make it to the front door and turn to face you. You open the door for them all and wait for them to start saying goodbyes. "WELL HUMAN I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE GOING TO START PUTTING THINGS IN THEIR PLACES. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP THAN YOU ARE WELCOME TOO!" He says as he steps up to you. You politely decline before he picks you up in a tight hug. "I WILL HAVE TO MAKE THE NEXT MEAL SO THAT YOU CAN SEE HOW WONDERFUL IT TRULY IS! NYEH HE HEH!" He gently puts you down and waits for the others.

Sans walks over at a slower pace. "till next time bucko." Sans salutes you and stands next to his brother. 

Undyne and Alphys walk up to you. Undyne sends you a wide grin. "I had fun today short stuff! If you ever wanna get better at throwing punches then I'm your gal!" She sends you, what you can only guess is, a wink.

You send her a smile before turning towards Alphys. "Th-thank you for lunch! I-i had a good time! Have a g-good aftern-noon." She says as she smiles more genuinely at you.

She adjusts her glasses and looks to the others. "I had a great time helping you guys out, I'm next door if you need help at all. Have a good afternoon." You say with a smile.

_ This has been really nice. _ They all start to make their way to Papyrus's room. You close the door behind you and sigh.  _ What a chaotic day.  _ You think about everything that has happened today as you start to make your way to the bathroom.  _ A nice hot shower will help me relax. _ You grab your speaker and start to set up some music.  _ I'm in the mood for something that is… calm in any sense of the word. _ You turn the shower on and wait for it to get warm as you look for a song.

You turn your playlist on shuffle.  _ I will survive.  _ You laugh.  _ Always a good one. _ You hum along as you test the water. You finally hop in and start to wash yourself. "I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face." You sing out loudly.

You start to dance dramatically. "I should have changed that stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key. If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me!" You grab the shampoo bottle.

You flip your wet hair back. "Go on now, go! Walk out the door! Just turn around now 'Cause you're not welcome anymore!" You start to wash your hair as you move your hips to the beat of the music.

You smile at the next part of the song. "Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye? Do you think I'd crumble?! Did you think I'd lay down and die?!" You sing at the wall as you throw your arms up.

You lean towards the wall. "Oh no, not I! I will survive!" You pause to breathe and wash your face.

You rinse your face and go right back into singing. "I'll survive! I will survive! Hey, hey! It took all the strength I had not to fall apart. Kept trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart." You try to dance as you feel small tears start to form.

You start to sing even louder. "And I spent oh-so many nights just feeling sorry for myself. I used to cry." You tighten your hands into fists.

As you do another pose you feel one foot start to slip. You barely stop yourself and laugh."BUuut now I hold my head up high and you see me! Somebody new! I'm not that chained-up little person and still in love with you." You start to wash the rest of your body.

_ I should probably focus on the task at hand and not die from showering. _ You finish up washing yourself and turn off the shower.  _ I should probably leave the dancing to people who know how to. _ You grab your fluffy towel and dry off.  _ I still need to do some school work! Shit!  _ You finish drying your hair and start to walk over to your bedroom. You see something blue out of the corner of your eye.

You glance over at your kitchen. You jump at the sudden realization that someone is in your dorm.  _ Is that… Sans? _ You tighten your towel around yourself. He grabs the handle to the fridge. "U-uh, why are you in my dorm?" You watch him jump.

He jumps and quickly turns to you. His entire skull goes blue and eyes go black. He stares at you for a little while before turning his head away. You feel your face turn as red as a cherry. "y-you left these at paps. Thought you'd want them back." He says while holding up the popsicles.

_ Oh. _ "Oh th-thank you. You can just leave them on the counter." He sets them down and heads towards the door. "Um, I do have a question though." You take a step closer to your room.

He glances over to you and then the door. "How did you get in? I almost always lock the door when I'm inside." You try to remember if you did or not.

_ I could have sworn I did.  _ He walks over to the door and opens it. "was unlocked when I opened it." He takes small step out.

_Oh. I guess I forgot…_ _could have sworn I did._ Sans' face goes slightly less blue. "Oh… Well thank you again." You say as you stare at the couch still red faced.

He nods and walks out.  _ Oh god why me. _ You quickly walk to the door and lock it.  _ It. It was locked. How did he get in and out?! Did he lock it before he left?  _ You run your fingers through your hair and walk back to your room. You grab some sweat pants and a sports bra.

_ Hopefully I won't have any more random drop ins. _ You grab your computer and get started on your Psychology project.  _ How does nature and nurture form a person's personality? Well it's due by next Wednesday. So I could probably finish it later, I have plenty of time and I want to sleep. _ You close the computer and lay back.  _ Nap time. _ You feel the weight of today easing you into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans pov. will be the next chapter. Fair warning, its long.


	4. through a skeletons eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two and chapter three through the eyes of Sans.  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> How are you doing to day?

☆-------------------------------------------------------sans.pov-------------------------------------------------------☆

You stand and talk about how to make Papyrus and Al come back home and live with the rest of the family with Undyne as you wait for Paps and his "potential friend".  _ They shouldn't be so far from home. It's dangerous, they can barely stay in a dorm for long before getting booted by humans. To hell with all these idiots. My brother is the best monster there is. Period. _ You hear Papyrus and someone else walking over while chatting. You look up to see your brother in his 'cool' workout outfit.

A small human girl looks like a child walking next to Papyrus. They seem to be happy. She has pale skin and short dark brown hair that looks almost curly.  _ Metta would be jealous of her hair. _ They smile at each other before they spot you all.

_ Ah well at least she seems ok so far. _ You smile as brightly as you can at your brother and he smiles back just as brightly. You glance over at her to see her watching you.  _ What kind of look is that?  _ You watch her out of the corner of your eye while you talk to your brother. After looking at you for a bit she looks at Undyne for a little bit and then Alphys.  _ She never seen a monster before? _

Alphys says something to Paps as him and Undyne ruff around. He straightens up slightly. "OH! THIS IS MY NEW NEIGHBOR! HER NAME IS MARCELINE! SHE IS GOING TO HELP US!" He takes a step towards her and guides them towards us.

You see a flash of fear in her eyes. She starts to rub the end of her sleeves. She takes a deep breath. "H-hello! I'm Marceline, like Papyrus said heh. Who are all of you?" She says in a nervous tone.

_ Is she scared of us? What's her deal? _ Undyne lunges towards her and grabs her hand. Marceline jumps back and nearly falls. Papyrus catches her by her arms. She turns to look at him quickly before relaxing. Undyne seems to be completely perplexed by what just happened. "UNDYNE YOU MUST BE CAREFUL WITH THE SMALL HUMAN. YOU HAVE STARTLED THEM!" He nudges her forward towards Undyne.

_ Yep. Definitely scared. _ She glances up at Undyne before taking another breath.  _ Least she is trying to be nice. _ She sticks her hand out to Undyne. "S-sorry, I've been told that I can be jumpy…" Marceline says as she scratches the side of her head and smiles weakly at Undyne.

Undyne brightens slightly. She grabs Marceline's hand. "Don't worry about it punk! I'm Undyne, it's nice to meet ya!" Marceline's eyes widen at her voice before relaxing slightly.

_ Jumpy would be an understatement. _ Undyne let's go of her hand and jesters to Alphys. "And this is my amazing and beautiful girlfriend Alphys!" She says as she smiles warmly at her.

Marceline grows uneasy at the sight of her teeth before looking at Al. She looks towards Alphys and her eyes soften. Alphys waves to her. "H-hello, I'm Alphys l-like Und-undyne said. It's nice t-to make your acqu-acquaintance." She says as she smiles weakly at her.

Marceline smiles kindly at her, making Al relax a tiny bit.  _ She doesn't seem scared of Al or Paps, but only of Undyne. In all fairness Undyne can be. Intense. But she seems really 'jumpy'.  _ You start to think if she is scared of people in general or of monsters. "BROTHER! SAY HELLO TO THE SMALL HUMAN!" Papyrus says as he puts his hands on his hip bones.

You blink and look from him to her.  _ Oh shit I was staring. _ You clear your throat. "oh uh, the names sans. sans the skeleton." You offer a hand for her to shake.

_ She feels so cold. Frisk is normally really warm, are there cold blooded humans? _ You shake hands with them and tighten your grip before she can let go.  _ I don't trust you just yet. _ She jumps and her wide eyes meet yours.  _ Her eyes look like moss. They are so green.  _ You marvel at her eyes before speaking. "W-well it's nice to meet you Sans." You watch as her smile dims.

_ Maybe too much too soon, but you get my point.  _ "yeah, likewise." You say softly.

You watch as she smiles at everyone again. "WELL NOW THAT YOU ALL KNOW EACH OTHER LET US GET TO THE TASK AT HAND!" Papyrus says happily.

He walks towards the door and opens it for everyone to walk through. You all walk to Toriel's van. You take off a slipper and wedge it to keep the door open. You walk back and wait for Undyne to open the truck. You teleport the smaller boxes and yourself to Papyrus as he opens the door for everyone. He steps aside for you to walk past him. You put the boxes around the couch and sit down with them.  _ I'm gonna be bone tired tonight. _

You hear someone else coming and look up from the box you were working on. "HUMAN! WHY ARE YOU CARRYING THAT BOX! IT LOOKS MUCH TO HEAVY FOR YOU? DO YOU NEED HELP?" Papyrus sets his boxes down and walks over to her.

You lean towards the door to see Marceline with a box that would be up to her hip.  _ So she isn't as weak as she seems, interesting. _ You smile up at Papyrus. "Don't worry about it Papyrus, it's not too heavy for me." She shuffles closer. "But it would help to know where to put these." You go back to your box and try to think about where Paps might want his aprons.

"WELL THEN FOLLOW ME HUMAN MARCELINE!" He starts to walk off to his bed room.

She starts to quickly walk after him. "You know Papyrus you can just call me Marceline. Or you could even call me Marcy. I-if you really wanted." She says quietly.

You smile to yourself.  _ Here we go.  _ He stops walking and drops his boxes. You turn to look at them. "D-DOES THAT MEAN THAT WE ARE FRIENDS THEN?!" He turns quickly to look at her.

She has a look of concern on her face. He grabs her shoulders making her flinch. Papyrus misses the fear and is beaming. "I-i-if you wanted to be! Not that you ha-have to, bu-AAH!" He picks her up making her yell and drop her box.

_ She looks very uncomfortable.  _ "I WOULD BE HAPPY TO BE YOUR FRIEND!" He jumps around with her in his arms.

Panic starts to quickly take over her face.  _ She must not like being touched or something.  _ She starts to pat him on the shoulder. "Well I'm gl-glad you want to be friends Papyrus, but I would like to be put down please." Her voice shakes as she tries to hide her fear.

She starts to more quickly pat his shoulder. _ Is she having a panic attack?  _ He gently sets her down and beams down at her. "SORRY HU- MARCY, I AM JUST EXCITED TO HAVE MADE A FRIEND HERE! I AM SURE WE WILL BE THE BEST OF FRIENDS! NYEH HEH HEH!!" He picks his boxes back up and walks off.

She stands there for a moment trying to process what happened.  _ I should probably make sure she is ok. _ After a couple seconds she picks up her box. You get up and walk over to her which grabs her attention. "hey, you alright? It looked like he spooked you down to the  _ bone _ ." You keep a decent distance away from her.

_ She probably doesn't want to feel crowded.  _ She stares blankly at you for a second before breathing a laugh. "Nice one." She relaxes slightly. "You are pretty  _ humerus _ ." She says while trying to hold in more giggles.

Your eyes grow slightly brighter as you both laugh. "well marceline I have to say I didn't take you for having a  _ funny bone _ in your body." You feel yourself relax slightly.

She laughs again. "Well I might have to go  _ skull _ -k if I don't seem as funny as I thought." She smiles and leans back on her leg.

You hear Papyrus stomp back. "BAH! BOTH OF YOU STOP WITH YOUR PUN! HUMAN MARCY I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE BETTER THAN THIS." He throws his hands up in defeat.

You feel your smile grow slightly. "oh come on paps, throw her a  _ bone _ . show a little  _ marcy _ ." You throw a wink her way.

She starts to giggle more as Papyrus stomps a foot. "HUMAN MARCY COME WITH ME. HE IS A TERRIBLE INFLUENCE. I WILL SHOW YOU WHERE TO PUT THE BOOKS." He starts to walk off.

She smiles at you before quickly following Papyrus. You teleport to the van and teleport back to the couch with the kitchen wear. You feel like your being watched as you start to pull out the pots and pans.  _ Is Paps gonna tell me I'm doing it wrong? He has always been particular about his cooking things. _ You look up to see Marceline looking at the box with a happy and curious look.

Her face flushes a pinkish red and she briskly walks away.  _ She must like cooking or something. _ After unpacking a little bit Alphys comes in and sets a box down next to you. You thank her and she starts to walk back to the van. You take a couple boxes to Paps and go back to unpacking. You hear a guy yell out in the hall and look over to see no one close by.  _ Whoever that was, they sound pissed. _ You watch the door for another second before going back to what you were doing.

After a minute or so you hear Marceline walk in. You hear her breathing heavily.  _ Must have grabbed a heavy box. _ She sets it down with a thud. "He-hey S-s-sans? Do yo-you know w-where this box goes." Her voice sounds on the verge of breaking.

You steal a glance at her to see tears about to fall. You quickly look back at her and watch her as she shakes. "uh yeah, it goes in the bedroom too. are you ok? you look even worse from earlier. n-no offense or anything but yo-'' You get interrupted by her raising a hand.

She holds the box up on one leg.  _ What the hell happened to you in the past five minutes?! _ She takes a shaky breath. "I-I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She says with an almost genuine smile.

_ Don't use one of those smiles at me. I know it's not real. _ She hesitates before walking off to Papyrus's room. You rub the back of your neck and sigh. You hear them talk in the other room and laugh at how shocked he sounds at her strength. You teleport to the van to see what else can be moved in. Undyne and Alphys seem to be bickering about something that has Undyne pissed. "What's wrong Undy pants?" You say from a safe distance.

She looks up at you and glares. "Some ass hat thought it was a good idea to yell at Al because she was a monster! She didn't even do anything except walk past him! And Al wont let me beat some manners into the shit bag!" She huffs angrily as Alphys pets her arm lightly.

You hear the same angry yelling from earlier from the hallway. You all stop and look that way.  _ Please don't let that shit bag be yelling at Paps. I swear to the stars that I will be on board with Undyne's plans to beat some manners into him. _ You walk towards the door to see a very upset Papyrus walking quickly to you all. "papyrus, are you ok? what happened?" You grab onto his arm and try to calm him.

He hugs you closely before saying anything. "I AM UNHARMED BROTHER. I WAS WALKING DOWN THE HALL TO GET MORE BOXES AND SAW A HUMAN LEANING ON A WALL NEARBY WHERE I WAS WALKING. I SAID HELLO TO HIM AND HE STARTED YELLING AT ME BECAUSE I 'SHOULDN'T BE ALOUD HERE'. MARCELINE WALKED OVER AND TOLD ME TO WAIT HERE FOR HER." He looks back towards where they must have been.

_ Maybe I should join in on the conversation. _ You feel a growl growing in the back of your throat. You all turn when you hear him yelling again. Papyrus immediately starts to walk that way. You all follow quickly. You hear her voice and the guys voice go from loud to quiet. You all turn the corner to see a guy looking at Marceline with a look of rage.

He puffs up and leans towards her slightly.  _ Does he not know what personal space is? Geeze.  _ "Well. If you're going to be such a monster fucking bitch then maybe you are a waist of my fucking time!" He grabs her tightly by the shoulder.

You watch as you can almost see the fear radiate off of her. He raises his hand, making her flinch harshly. "Should have known why you always rejected me. You'd have to be insane to not want me." He says before slapping her so loud you swear it had an echo.

You watch a tear roll down her face. Papyrus and Undyne rush forward and Alphys and you follow behind. "MARCELINE! ARE YOU OK?!" He asks in a worried tone.

He reaches an arm forward. The human clenches his fist and looks to you all. "What? You want a beating too? You disgusting freaks." He says with pure hatred.

You go to yell back at him but get startled by Marceline pulling out of his grasp and swinging at him with a full body punch. He falls into the wall behind him and looks at her with fear and shock. Her eyes look at him with the same hatred that he was showing us.  _ How did she do that? Is she gonna kick his ass? _ You watch as she stalks over to him. Blood leaks from his nose.

She stands in front of him with a look of disgust. "If you ever. Ever. Ever.  **Ever** .  **Threaten** him again. I will do more than punch your sorry ass in the face. I can deal with your horny bullshit, but I will not let you be a jackass to nice people." She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to her face.

_ She knows this asshole? What has he done to her? _ The blood starts to drip from his face onto her hand. He starts to look more scared of her as he puts his hands up. "Now I will ask you one last time to leave.  **Now** . I don't want to see your ugly face in this dorm ever again." After she says that she lets go of his shirt.

He scrambles away and gives you all a look of hate before running away.  _ Yeah, run you wimpy douche. _ You see Papyrus pick Marceline up in a hug making her flinch again.  _ Tough day for you kid. _ "ARE YOU ALRIGHT MARCELINE?! THAT SOUNDED LIKE IT HURT!" He puts her down and touches her face.

She jumps at the touch. You lean closer to look at the slap mark forming on her face. "AH! Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just hate people like him. Are you ok? He didn't say or do anything too bad to you right?" She grabs his hand and moves it away.

_ Ouch. That looks painful. _ You all walk the rest of the way over to them. "Damn punk! Could have held him down so I could have gotten in on the action!" She grins at Marceline with a hint of a frown at the edges.

_ She really wanted to be the one to kick his ass.  _ Marceline returns the smile weakly. "I-I didn't even re-realize what I did till it was done…" She admits quietly. 

_ Ah, not a big fan of violence? But you definitely seem to know how to be… violent. _ "Brother, what should I do? I don't know how to help with human injuries unless I can heal them with magic." He whispers to you with concern.

_ My bro is so nice. _ "well paps, you could always offer too. but are you ok?" You try to get a better look at his face to see how upset he is.

He nods while still looking not ok.  _ You aren't a good liar Paps.  _ "Hey Papyrus?" He turn to her quickly with a worried look in his eyes. "I need to take care of this real quick, b-but I can come back to help as soon as I'm done." She says while looking down at the ground with a look of shame.

_ Is she upset she needs to take care of the swelling in her face? Why? _ Papyrus kneels down towards her and hugs her tightly. Her eyes widen in surprise. Making you laugh lightly. "Of course Marceline. But if you would rather I could heal it for you." He says softly.

_ There you go Paps. _ "B-but isn't it illegal for you guys to use your magic on humans?" He holds her at his arms length.

He puts on a look of heroism. "WELL NOT IF I HAVE A PROBABLE CAUSE, LIKE PROTECTING SOMEONE! AND I THINK THIS IS PROTECTING YOU AFTER THE DAMAGE WAS DONE! NYEH HEH!" He poses slightly while smiling.

She laughs lightly at him before thinking for a second. "If you don't get in trouble and it doesn't harm you in any way then sure. After we are done moving the boxes." She says and pats him lightly on the arm.

He thinks it over for a second before standing up and pointing into the air. "WELL THEN WE MUST HURRY UP AND FINISH OUR WORK! I WOULD STILL LIKE FOR YOU TO TAKE CARE OF THAT THOUGH." He smiles at her and pats her shoulder before starting to walk off.

You watch as Marceline looks unhappy with that request.  _ Oh you're not getting out of this. _ You laugh lightly at what you know is going to come. "Papyrus I can still help, it's not that bad, rea-" He cuts her off when he turns to her with a motherly scowl.

"I WILL HAVE NONE OF THAT. I WOULD STRONGLY PREFER THAT YOU TAKE CARE OF THAT INSTEAD PLEASE." He gives her a look that you have seen a million time.

_ She must have made a good impression on him.  _ She sighs and runs a hand through her hair.  _ She does that a lot. _ "Alright. I will. But if I finish before you guys are done then I'm helping." She counters back..

_ Now you've done it.  _ Undyne beams at her with excitement. "Challenge accepted pip squeak." They race down that hallway laughing loudly.

Alphys and you both laugh at the accidental challenge that she caused. "I-i feel bad for Mar-marceline. Ch-challenging Undyne is not something most p-people are r-r-ready for." Alphys says with a laugh.

You chuckle with her. "yeah, i can  _ sea _ how that would be challenging. but maybe it will be a  _ tide. _ unless marceline does something  _ fishy _ and makes undyne  _ jelly. _ " You both laugh and walk back into Paps dorm.

You both sit down and start to discuss Alphys's recent college class. "W-we are currently l-learning about what human or-organs do and the exact location o-of th-them. A lot of them c-cost a l-lot to, bu-but s-selling then is ap-apparently illegal." She frowns slightly at that part.

_ Why would you sell them? Food? _ You ask her and she teaches you that human organs can be transferred to others before and after death and that they can be used to help them live longer. She also tells you that many seem very useless to her.  _ There is a organ for raw food? That's so specific. _ You continue to talk and Undyne and Papyrus run in and out with boxes and shouting encouragements to each other. "AH! You guys are too fast!" You hear Marceline yell as Papyrus runs out the door.

"OF COURSE WE ARE! NYEH HE HEH!" He yells to her as he runs past.

Undyne runs after him, likely trying to beat him to the van. Marceline walk over and spots the two of you and walks over.  _ What's that bag filled with? And what's with the peas? _ You look at the fishnet looking bag filled with different colored sticks. "Mind if I sit here?" She asks the both of you.

You both say no and she takes a seat.  _ She seems more relaxed now. Probably isn't a people person. _ "I brought some popsicles if you want any." She says and sets them down on the table. "Oh but be careful they can hurt the sides of your mouth with the plastic sometimes." She says while pointing to the corners of her mouth.

Alphys smiles. "Oh we-well thank you for t-the po-popsicles and the warn-warning." You both start to look at all the different flavors.

_ Never seen any popsicles that look like this, they don't like nice cream like some of the others did _ . "what flavors are they?" You ask while trying to make a quick guess.

_ Red is strawberry, orange is orange duh, yellow is pineapple, green is apple, blue is blue raspberry, purple is grape, and pink is pink lemonade. _ She smiles at your question. "Oh that's easy. The red is cherry, the oranges are orange, the yellow are lemon, the greens are sour apple, the blues are blue raspberry, the purple is grape, and lastly the pinks are watermelon!"  _ So close. _ She opens the bag up. "But if you don't like sour stuff I would strongly suggest that you don't try the yellow or green. They are very sour." She laughs knowingly.

Papyrus and Undyne run back in with boxes and run back out.  _ Well it can't be that sour. Sounds good though. _ Alphys grabs the red one and you grab a green one. Marceline seems to think it over before picking up a pink one. She bites the corner of the plastic covering and tears the top off of it and then spits it into her hand.  _ Seems easy enough. _

You do the same and put the plastic in your pocket. Alphys gets up and heads towards the kitchen. You watch as Marceline starts to quickly eat her popsicle.  _ That must be really good. _ Alphys walks back in with the top of hers cut off and some napkins. "So, how long do you think till they'll have everything in here?" Marceline asks while glancing at the door.

You laugh. "at the rate they are going then probably a couple minutes. they work pretty fast." You take a big bite of your popsicle. Your face scrunches up as you try to chew it quickly.  _ Damn. These are like eating pure limes with a hit of apple.  _ "w-wow. you weren't lying about them being really sour. damn." You cough as the other two laugh at you.

After a bit Marceline finishes her popsicle and you all start to talk about what you and Alphys do for work and what she does at college. _Pizza delivery girl? Oh you are so getting prank called._ You and Alphys both ask about why about she is holding frozen peas to her face. Paps and Undyne run in while sweating profusely. _Must have been working double time. Glad I didn't get pulled in._ They set the boxes down and Undyne turns to Papyrus. "I think we beat her Papyrus." Undyne says triumphantly.

She looks over at you at the three of you before squinting at Marceline. "Why're you holding a bag of peas to your face?" She asks as she and Papyrus walk over.

She leans on the chair with Alphys and rests her head on hers. Marceline looks at their affection with a smile for a brief second.  _ Sucker for romance.  _ "Oh I was just about to tell these two the same thing. But before anything, do you and Papyrus what a popsicle?" She opens the bag and pushes a yellow one forward.

_ Oh you mischievous little thing.  _ Undyne grabs the yellow one and bites the plastic off. She turns to Papyrus and let's him pick freely.  _ Good choice.  _ He grabs a pink one. Marceline quickly turns back to Undyne to see the reaction.  _ This will be amazing. _ "So the reason I have a bag of peas is beca- Ah ha ha haa!" She interrupts herself by laughing loudly.

Undyne's whole face contracted and then swallowed the popsicle whole. You all laugh as Alphys giggles and pats her back. "You knew that was sour, didn't you, you prick?" She coughs out as she sends Marceline a playful glare.

She giggles again. "Should have asked." She smiles again before talking. "Now as I was saying, I'm holding a frozen bag of peas to my face because the cold from them helps keep the swelling down. Which is one, less work for Papyrus I'm assuming and two helps keep the pain away a little. I would normally do other things but because of Papyrus's offer I'm not going to."  _ So cold keeps swelling down. I'll have to ask Alphys what swelling really is. _ You continue to think over what has been told to you and start to make a list of questions to ask Al. Papyrus leans closer to Marceline. "What do you want to see the bag?" She asks while offering the bag to him.

He grabs her right hand and flips it over to look at her knuckles. "WHY ARE YOUR KNUCKLES A DIFFERENT COLOR THAN THEY WERE EARLIER?" He leans in to get a better look. 

He brushes the knuckles lightly with his thumb causing her to jump. His eyes widen and pulls back quickly. "W-well when I punched him I'm pretty sure i-i broke his no-nose…" Her eyes fill with guilt and she curls into herself slightly.  _ She does seem to throw a good punch.  _ "That and normally when you punch anything that isn't soft or if you aren't used to it, then it will bruise. But if you hit another person you will bruise both them and you. Most the time." She pulls her hand away and presses the peas to her face.

She stares at the ground.  _ She know a lot about this kind of stuff.  _ You eye her suspiciously.  _ Why is she acting weird when she talks about this kind of stuff. _ You lean closer to get a better look at her. "do you take a class in something like this? you seem to know a lot about injuries." You say trying to figure out if she might be a threat to Paps.

Her breathing stops for a second before she starts to shrink and sweat.  _ What are you trying to hide? _ "N-no I don't take a class on that kind of stuff. B-but A-alphys will probably learn about it though in her class if she hasn't already. Have you learned about in-injurys yet?" She says trying to change the subject.

Alphys looks at you with a 'we should talk about that later' look. "U-uh n-n-no not yet. We are st-still learning about body chemistry. B-but what else wo-would you do if Pa-papyrus hadn't offered t-to help you?" She asks trying to get as much information as possible.

_ Good plan Al. _ "W-well normally I would take some painkillers, put a little bit of aloe on it to help soothe the skin, then drink some apple cider vinegar to make any bruising go away faster." She thinks about it for a second before nodding.

_ That's weirdly specific. _ Alphys thinks of a second before making a confused face. "D-doesn't apple cider vin-vinegar taste b-bad?" She asks curiously.

Marceline laughs a little. "Oh it's terrible. Makes you want to puke if you drink too much. Smells bad too. But it works." She nervously laughs.

_ She isn't telling us something. _ "So does that mean that you've been sitting there in pain this whole time?" Undyne asks Marceline with a concerned and confused face. She nods. "Damn. Respect punk." She gives her a look of approval.

Papyrus's eyes snap up and look at Marceline for a second before standing up. "SO! LET US NOW GET TO THE FIXING OF WHAT THAT MEAN HUMAN HAS DONE." He takes a step towards her and kneels down. "IT SHOULDN'T HURT AT ALL SO DO NOT WORRY! JUST HOLD STILL SO THAT I MAY CONCENTRATE." He says full of confidence.

He gently covers her cheek and hand. She closes her eyes and furrows her brow.  _ Must be scared. _ Papyrus's green magic swirls around her hand and face before being absorbed by her. She slowly relaxes before opening her eyes and looking at the magic in wonder _. _ The green magic illuminates her face and makes it look as if her eyes were glowing too.  _ She has a small scar on the left side of her chin? How weird. _

After a couple more seconds Papyrus pulls back and leans on the couch. "WOWIE HUMAN. YOU MUST HAVE HIDDEN THE PAIN WELL! YOUR FACE WAS MORE HURT THEN I THOUGHT!" Small bags rest under his eyes.

_ Poor Paps. _ You watch as she touches her hand and face in wonder. "That… Papyrus that's amazing! I didn't know that healing magic was so efficient!" She smiles at the new discovery. "T-thank you so much! You are alright though, right?" She looks at his face with concern.

_ She wont get him to say that he is bone tired. _ "I AM IN TIP TOP SHAPE. I AM MERELY JUST IN NEED OF A BREAK! DO NOT FEAR!" He rests all the way back on the couch.

Marceline checks her phone and seems to think something over for a minute or so. "Well if you all want to rest up, I could always make you all some lunch, if you wanted." She offers kindly.

Papyrus and Undyne lean towards her full of excitement. "YOU KNOW HOW TO COOK?!" They both yell at the same time.

She jumps at their sudden yelling. "I-i mean I'm n-not the best cook, but I know how to cook a lot of things. W-why?" You laugh at her reaction.

_ Poor kid. _ She fiddles with the bag of peas that lay on her lap. Undyne grabs Alphys's chair and leans closer to her. "Me and Paps love cooking! We are masters at it!" You and Alphys give each other a look.  _ I personally wouldn't say masters.  _ Papyrus and her high five with big grins. "But we would love to see what you'd whip up for us!" She turns her grin back to marceline.

Marceline smiles back at her weakly. "S-so what would you guys want to eat?" She asks everyone.

_ Oh boy. _ Papyrus raises his hands into the air. "SPAGHETTI! IT IS BY FAR THE BEST DISH!" He says enthusiastically.

Everyone laughs at his enthusiasm. "Well I guess spaghetti it is. Anything else?" Marceline asks.

You shrug and watch the others to see what might pick. Everyone does basically the same. Marceline stands up and you all follow suit. She hesitates before leaving the room and getting to hers. "Fair warning my dorm room is messy." She says with a forced laugh.

She grabs the door knob. Papyrus huffs and look directly at you. "TRUST ME. IT IS NO WERE AS BAD AS MY BROTHERS ROOM. IT IS A DISASTER." He scowls you.

Marceline tries to hold in a laugh.  _ Hey it's not messy or a disaster. It's organized chaos.  _ Everyone is standing in the hall waiting for her to open the door. "Oh! Do any of you guys have any allergies?"  _ The hell are those? Sounds familiar. _ "Do monsters not have allergies?" She asks Alphys.

Alphys gives her small smile. "S-some do but it's v-ve-very rare for one to have them. So most monsters d-don't even know what they are. But to a-a-answer your other qu-question no, no one in th-the group have a-al-allergies." Alphys starts to think while pushing up her glasses.

Marceline smiles and goes to open the door. "Well that's good!" She finally opens it. "You guys can make yourselves at home in the living room if you want. Just ignore my sweater and other stuff." She holds open the door for everyone.

Paps is the first to walk in and look around. You follow behind.  _ It's not that messy. _ You look at her living room. The black hoodie she mentioned was draped over a brown couch. You look around to see a small TV and a little glass table with metal wiring. And underneath a red and tan rug with a weird design. You look further in the dorm to see her back wall covered with loads of different plants.  _ Her and Asgore would get along nicely _ .

She closes the door and starts to make a clicking sound with her mouth. You cock your head to the side while looking at her.  _ What is she making that sound and why? _ You hear a higher pitched sound from some other room. Marceline squats down immediately. You see an orange dog looking thing come trotting to her. "Hey cutie. Come here." She says as she pats her shoulder.

He jumps up on her knee and climbs up on her shoulder at lays on her like a scarf, like he has done it a million times.  _ What is that creature, it looks soft _ .  _ Reminds me of catty. _ She turns to everyone with a small smile on her face. Papyrus walks over to them. "CAT SOLE! IT IS VERY NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" He says as he scratches 'Cat Sole's chin'.

The thing makes a loud purring sound while he does. When Papyrus stops petting him you walk over to them. She giggles at the faces you all make at the thing. "Guys, this is Sole, he's my pet cat. You can also call him Sully. He is super friendly so he won't hurt any of you. And if you want him to lay down with you guys just pat yourself, he is a huge cuddler." Just as she says that he headbutts her and rubs his face on hers.

_ So it's a pet and it's not dangerous. Good to know. _ You watch as he tries to get Marceline's attention. "Anyway, I'm going to get started on lunch." She gestures for Papyrus to come closer. He walks to her happily. "You want to hold him for a bit?" She asks.

He nods excitedly. She leans towards him sideways. Papyrus opens his hands and she pats them and Sole walks over. Papyrus squeals with joy, which makes Marceline laugh. Marceline walks to the kitchen followed by Paps and Undyne. "Papyrus, Sully can't come, he'll get hair in the food." Papyrus walks back and puts the cat on the couch a little bummed out.

You take a seat next to him. You hear them talking for a second then Undyne comes jogging in, grabs something and jogs out.  _ Ok? _ You look at the cat sitting next to you. "hey alphys, you know anything about cats?"

She thinks for a second before saying anything. "N-no not re-really. Th-there weren't a l-l-lot of cat i-in th-the underground." You both sit there and look at the cat.

You pat your lap lightly. He walks over to your lap and sits down on it looking at you with big blue eyes.  _ You have very cute eyes. _ You lightly pet the top of his head as he leans into every touch. You continue to pet him as you and Alphys talk about what monsters he reminds you of. "H-he reminds me o-of c-catty." She leans forward to get a better look at him.

He looks over at her and licks her nose. She jumps and stares at him for a second. "H-h-his tongue is l-like sandpaper!" You laugh at her statement.

_ Well I wasn't expecting that. _ You go to make a pun but stop as you hear Paps get excited. "WHAT ARE YOU SINGING? YOUR TOO QUIET TO HEAR!" He says in a curious tone.  _ Oh so she can sing? _ You look in the kitchen to see her face bright red.  _ Or maybe not? _ She says something that makes Paps face fall slightly. "BUT MARCELINE FROM WHAT LITTLE I COULD HEAR YOU SOUNDED GOOD!" He proudly says.

She laughs and says something and then looks upset.  _ Is she mad about what she said? Or is someone going to have a bad time? _ You see Undyne say something to Papyrus and then to her. They start to set the table so you and Alphys get up and head over. After a little bit Marceline brings the food to the table.  _ Never seen this kind of spaghetti before. _

You eye it curiously before looking to Marceline. "What do you guys want to drink?" She looks over the fridge door at you all.

Papyrus waves an arm. "OH I WOULD LIKE SOME MILK PLEASE!" He smiles at her thankfully.

_ Let's see what she thinks of this one. _ You grin at her. "i'm feeling  _ sausey, _ do you have any ketchup?" You hear Papyrus groan.

She sends you a confused look before nodding. Alphys fidgets before speaking. "I-i'll just have a w-water please." She says quickly before looking to Undyne.

Marceline nods and looks at Undyne. "You're 21 or older right?" Marceline nods in response as she give everyone else their drinks. "Got any beer?" Undyne asks as she walks back to the fridge.

Marceline shrugs. "All I have is very few fruity stuff and a bottle of some really strong stuff. Not a big drinker." She says while opening the fridge.

_ Has strong drinks, but not a drinker. Makes sense _ . "I'll have some water too then. Don't want to start a party." She laughs.

Marceline gives Undyne her water and sits down. Everyone starts to serve themselves. You feel Marceline staring as you take a sip from her ketchup bottle.  _ Ah the look of 'thats nasty and there is no way'. _ You smile and wink at her. She blinks and looks away with a light blush. You chuckle lightly to yourself. "WOWIE HUMAN! THIS FOOD IS AMAZING! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOU WERE AN AMAZING CHEF LIKE ME AND UNDYNE?!" He looks at her with stars in his eyes.

She laughs lightly. "I-it's not that good Papyrus. It's just something I taught myself over the years." She takes a bite out her food and shrugs.

_ It's probably better than Pap's and Undyne's.  _ You twirl the noodles and go to take a bite. Undyne's eye goes wide. "WOAH. Damn, Paps is right! Why didn't you say you could cook punk!?" She gives Marceline a playful hurt look.

You take a bite and feel your eye lights grow.  _ Oh my stars this is amazing.  _ "yeah, kid, this is really good." You say before shoveling more into your mouth.

Alphys nods in agreement as she does the same. Papyrus, Undyne, and Marceline all start to talk about spaghetti recipes for a bit over dinner. You say a couple puns that get groans or laughs. Marceline would have one to counter yours every now and then which makes you smile. You and Papyrus start to talk about where things should go in his dorm. You glance over to see Undyne and Alphys flirting and Marceline with a nostalgic smile on her face.  _ I wonder what she is thinking about. _ You watch her for a moment longer before telling Papyrus that he should put the spare bed in the spare room by the door. He thinks that it should go by the window. "MARCELINE WHICH DO YOU THINK IS BETTER?" He turns to look at her.  _ Still smiling at nothingness.  _ "MARCELINE?" He asks again.

She jumps lightly and smiles up at him. "Oh sorry Papyrus. What is it?" She looks at you then Papyrus again.

He smiles back at her. "AH WELL YOU SEE, ME AND SANS WHERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THE BED IN THE SPARE ROOM SHOULD BE NEAR THE WINDOW OR NEAR THE DOOR. WHICH DO YOU THINK IS BETTER?" He asks seriously.

She blinks and then her brow furrows as she thinks. She looks up at you both and says, "I would say by the door. It makes more sense." She nods lightly after thinking about it again for a second.

Your smile grows as Papyrus looks slightly upset. Your small victory gets stepped on slightly. "BUT IF YOU WERE BY THE WINDOW THEN YOU COULD LOOK OUT OF IT! THE DOOR MAKES NO SENSE." He says as he pouts

Marceline's smile grows as she tries not to laugh at his pout. "True but if it's by the door then you have a quick way out and you can tell if someone is outside or nearby the door more easily." She says as she gets up and begins to grab the dirty dishes.

Papyrus thinks it over for a second before sighing. "BAH. I GUESS YOU WERE RIGHT BROTHER. CLOSER TO THE DOOR IS BETTER." He then starts to help as well.

You laugh a little.  _ Paps has already warmed up to her, never seen him take my side unless the Dreemurs or Undyne agreed. _ Marceline stops by the pot of food _. _ "Hey do any of you want some of the leftovers?" You nod quickly.

_ That was too good to not eat again.  _ She goes into the kitchen for a little bit before coming back and packing the food away for everyone. You all say your thank yous and head to the door.  _ What an eventful day. _ "Well I'm glad that you all enjoyed my cooking!" Marceline says from behind.

You all stop at the front door to say goodbye. She opens the door for all of you and waits. "WELL HUMAN I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE GOING TO START PUTTING THINGS IN THEIR PLACES. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP THAN YOU ARE WELCOME TOO!" He says as he takes a step closer to her. She nods her head no and smiles as a decline before he picks her up in a hug. "I WILL HAVE TO MAKE THE NEXT MEAL SO THAT YOU CAN SEE HOW WONDERFUL IT TRULY IS! NYEH HE HEH!" He gently puts her down and waits for everyone else in the hall.

You stroll over and stop in front of her.  _ How did I not notice how much shorter you are then me? _ "till next time bucko." You salute her, making her smile slightly and stand next to Papyrus. 

Undyne and Alphys walk up to her smiling. "I had fun today short stuff! If you ever wanna get better at throwing punches then I'm your gal!" She sends Marceline a wink.

She smiles at Undyne before turning towards Alphys. "Th-thank you for lunch! I-i had a good time! Have a g-good aftern-noon." Alphys says as she smiles genuinely at her.

She adjusts her glasses and looks toward us. "I had a great time helping you guys out, I'm next door if you need help at all. Have a good afternoon." She says with a smile.

You all make your way to Papyrus's room. You hear the door close behind you guys as you make it inside. Everyone heads to the living room to sit down. Papyrus looks at everyone and then speaks. "WHAT DID YOU ALL THINK OF MARCELINE?" He asks 'quietly'.

You think for a second.  _ Short, nervous and/or scared of… something, jumpy, very nice. And yet she broke someone's nose today and threatened them. Something about that seems weird. What was one of the things she said. _ Undyne speaks before anyone else can. "I liked her! At first I thought she was going to be like a mouse the whole time, but she definitely has some spunk to her, and she's a good cook to boot!" She says with a smile. 

_ She did warm up to Papyrus a lot. _ "Y-yeah, she was very n-nice. I h-had a great time g-getting to kn-know her a little b-b-bit today." Alphys says as she then starts to think.

_We really didn't learn much about her. She knows a lot about wounds, she knows how to fight apparently, she doesn't seem to like being touched for too long, she knows how to cook, she has a cat, she acts nice, jumpy… yet she seems really kind despite my suspicions._ _I'll have to check her._ You go to speak but something on the table catches your eye. "Popsicles." Is all you say. Undyne laughs while Papyrus and Alphys look at you with a questioning look. "She left her popsicles." You get up and grab them.

Papyrus smiles. "OH I DIDN'T SEE THEM THERE! ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE THEM BACK TO HER BROTHER?" He asks like he doesn't believe that you're actually doing something.

_ Well I need some answers and this seems like a good way to get them while being nice. _ You nod to him before teleporting into her kitchen. You hear her voice from somewhere in the dorm.  _ What is she saying? _ You take a step closer to where you think it's coming from.  _ She's singing? She sounds nice. Kinda, she would probably sound better from not behind a wall. _

You hear water running. _Oh, singing in the shower…_ You take a couple steps away. _This is not how I thought that this would go._ You listen for a second longer before her singing stops. Your freeze. _Shit don't come out!_ After a couple seconds nothing. You walk over to the freezer when you hear the water turn off. _I'm just going to return these and leave._ You grab the fridge handle. "U-uh, why are you in my dorm?" You jump at her voice.

_ Shit. _ You quickly turn to see her in a towel. You feel your face heat up and your eyes go black.  _ What do I do? _ You look her up and down.  _ Probably not that! _ You see her face turn as red as a strawberry. You look away and try to bring your eye lights back. "y-you left these at paps. Thought you'd want them back." You say as you hold them up.

You see her relax slightly. "Oh th-thank you. You can just leave them on the counter." You set them down and quickly head towards the door. "Um, I do have a question though." She says before you leave.

You glance over to her and then the door. "How did you get in? I almost always lock the door when I'm inside." She says as she seems to be thinking about it.

_ Crap crap crap crap.  _ You unlock it with your magic and then walk all the way to the door and open it. "was unlocked when I opened it." You say as you try to get away from this situation.

You can almost see her questioning that. "Oh… Well thank you again." She says while looking anywhere but at you.

You nod and walk out.  _ Oh god why me. _ You close the door and teleport into Paps bathroom to relax for a second.  _ Why? _ The sight of her in the towel flashes in your mind again.  _ The fluffy towel clinging to her curves and the water droplets rolling down her- _ . You hit your cheeks a couple times trying to dismiss that thought as quickly as you can. You breath a couple more times before you calm down.  _ Let's just pretend that didn't happen. _ You teleport back into Papyrus's living room after a couple more deep breaths. "sup." You say as you sit next to your brother.

You continue to talk about where to put things tomorrow afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I re-posted all of these, I didn't realize that there was difference about somethings and I wasn't making it obvious on what was thoughts and normal text. BUT! i fixed it =)


	5. Pixie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quick late night chat with a certain Pixie after a pleasant dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. Haha... sorry I kinda burnt out a little on the last one, But the next one will be longer! promise!

You grab your book bag from your hook and walk to the bus.  _ Gotta get a good seat. _ You make it onto your bus and sit near the back.  _ Maybe I can finish my homework before I get home. Then I can do better on my next test.  _ You pull out your vocab words and start practicing how to spell them. You start to test your memory when an older boy taps you on the shoulder.

You jump and look up at him quickly. "Hey, is it ok if I sit here?" He asks as he cocks his head like a puppy.

You look back to your work and nod.  _ No one ever what's to sit next to you, why does he? _ You watch his amber eyes sparkle as he smiles. "Thanks, there were no other seats. And I didn't want to sit three to a seat." Just as he sits down the bus starts moving.

_ That makes sense. _ You glance over at him and see his blonde hair has a pinkish orange hue to it.  _ Is he a fairy? _ He looks at you and meets your eyes. "What? Something on me?" You jump at being caught.

Before you can apologize he speaks again. "I'm pretty sure I have hot written all over me." He says with a bright smile. You sit there for a second just looking at him before you start laughing at his joke. He makes an exaggerated pouty face. "What do you think I'm not hot?" He says while barely holding his face together.

You giggle at him. "I was looking at your hair. It makes you look like a fairy or a pixie." You say as you point to his hair.

He tries to glance up at it before smiling. "Well, you're the first person to say something nice about having half ginger hair. And if that means being called a pixie then I'm cool with that." He runs his hands through his hair.

_ Ginger hair looks orange, not like that.  _ "Your hair doesn't look orange though. How is it half ginger?" You ask as you lean closer to get a better look.

_ It's not half any color. It's just a whole color that is very pretty. _ He breathes a laugh. "Well it's technically called a strawberry blonde, so it looks kinda orangey but mostly blonde." He says in a half hearted tone.  _ Must have to tell lots of people.  _ "My name is Christopher by the way." He holds out his hand to you.

You hesitate before gently taking it. "I'm Marceline. It's nice to meet you." You say to him with a smile.

You shake hands and he smiles brightly. "Marceline? As in Marceline the vampire queen?" He asks before laughing a little.

You laugh along as well.  _ I haven't seen that show in awhile. I should see if Mommy and Dad will let me watch it next time it's on. _ You both start to talk about your favorite characters.  _ Makes sense that he would like Marceline and the lava dogs.  _ You think as you look at his black shirt with a guitar on it.  _ I always liked Jake and Bmo the most. _

He eventually stands up. "Well this is my stop Vampy. I'll see you later!" He waves goodbye to you and starts to walk off the bus.

You smile and wave back. "Bye bye Pixie!" You say to him.

He smiles brightly and walks off the bus. He walks straight to his house where an elderly lady greets him with a hug.  _ What a nice person. _

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You feel a light tap on your face.  _ Sole noooo. _ You feel him tap again. "Mmm." You mumble half heartedly as you cuddle deeper into your couch. He taps you on the nose and holds his paw there. You feel his paw hair tickle your nose every time you inhale.  _ Smart bastard. _

You pat his paw and sit up. He mews up at you expectantly. You check your phone.  _ 7:03, I missed his dinner. Crap. _ You start to get up slowly.  _ Hopefully some nice wet cat food will fix his fluffy rage. _ You move your hair out of your face and grab your phone.

_ I should check in on him soon. _ You think about Chris and your dream for a bit for a bit before heading to his food bowl. You grab a can and crack it open. He circles your feet and mews. You smile lightly at him as you cut up his food while it's in the can. "Ok ok, here you go." You watch him trot over the second you put it in his bowl and start to quickly eat the cat food.

You smile and shake your head. "Don't eat it too fast, you doofus, might choke." You say as you watch him continue to quickly eat.

_ Must have been really hungry. My bad Sole. _ You feel a pang of guilt in your chest. You take a couple steps to your left and look in the kitchen.  _ What am I going to eat?  _ You think as you try to also remember what is in the fridge.  _ I'm not really that hungry. Maybe I'll just eat junk food later and go to bed. _ You think over it for a second. _ Yep. Totally a healthy plan. _

You walk to your cupboard and grab a granola bar.  _ Screw cooking. _ You think as you tear it open and eat it. You continue to eat it as you make your way to grab your phone. You plop down on the couch and grab your phone. You open your text messages and scroll looking for Chris.  _ Where are you, you tricky pixie. _ You find your guy's conversation and try to think about what to say.

'What's up butt munch? Haven't talked to you in awhile!'

You sit there for a bit before he texts back.

'What's up you passive prick?! How have you been? B)

You smile at his text.

'I've been good. Made some friends on accident. And I also finally told that doucher-naut off. =D

'Daaaamn! Someone got feisty since the last time I was there! Give me all the tea sis. Please tell me that you showed him how scary a vampire is lol'

You roll your eyes before telling him the general details about Colin and a little about your new friends. (Minus the drop in by Sans.)

'Wait. Wait. Wait.'

'Your new best friend is a cinnamon roll skeleton that is gigantic. Your friends with a monster?'

'Yeah?'

You feel your brow knit together.  _ He never was against monsters. _

'DUDE! That's so awesome! He seems so cool! I can't wait to meet them! Though it might be awhile before I visit…'

You relax a little.  _ He's such a dork.  _ You think a little on that last sentence as you finish off your raw ramen.  _ Hehe, raw-men. _

'Out of money again? What did you buy this time?'

'Damn you and my predictable ass. Ok. So. You can't get mad if I tell you.'

You sigh and get up to go lay in bed.

'Depends if you have food for work and rent.'

There was a long pause before he texted you back.

'So my guitar got broken accidentally and I didn't want to get a new one, because of sentimental stuff and all that. So I had to go downtown to the shop to see what they could do for it. Took them a couple weeks but they finally fixed it! They even put so cool looking stuff on the cracks!'

'Although it does sound different now… but in a good way!'

You sigh loudly and pinch the bridge of your nose.  _ He got into a fight again and probably got hit with his own guitar. _

'So how did it break?'

Another pause. After a bit you just lay all the way down on your bed.  _ Rude. Won't even try to avoid the question, straight to ignoring. _ After a couple more seconds your phone starts ringing. You read the notification. 'Incoming video chat from  _ pixie _ '. You answer it as fast as you can.

You look at the screen to see him with a black eyes, one way worse than the other, and what seems like a broken nose.  _ Luckily he knows how to set those in place. _ "Ok ok ok. So. I did get into a fight." He says quickly. You go to open your mouth to speak but he continues. "Wait! Before you get upset! Yes I know that you hate it when I get in them, but! I did it for a good reason!" He smiles brightly and nervously.

You look closer at him.  _ Looks like he hasn't eaten in a bit, beaten up, still in an apartment luckily, still has his pixie hair _ . You smile for a second.  _ And has a new tattoo. Not like those cost a large amount of money or anything. _ "Ok. What was the reason for this fight?" You sigh out. "Better be good or I'll come to you and beat your ass again." You say as you watch his confidence die a little.

He licks his lips before hesitantly speaking. "S-so I told you about that restaurant that I play at every couple weeks, right?" You nod.  _ He was lucky to get that job. Lucky the owner knew grandma. _ "Well Frank, the owner, was about to go out smoking so I told him I was going to join him. He told me to set my stuff up first before I 'join in this cancerous habit'." He says with a small laugh.

You laugh with him and at his impression of Frank.  _ I wonder how the old man's doing.  _ You remember his rough voice and how he would say the funniest things while stroking his short white beard.  _ Hopefully ok if this is going where I think it is… _ "So I do as I'm told, for once, and before I'm finished I hear Frank yell at someone. So I rushed out and have my guitar in hand to see a couple of people beating on a little monster kid. Looked like a cute mouse. So, me being the brilliant man I am, rushed over and smashed my guitar into the bigger one's face. Not realizing that the other guy was next to me and he nailed me in the face." You watch as he laughs dryly at himself.

You feel tears building in your eyes.  _ How could someone just beat up a random kid for no reason.  _ "So Frank threatened to call the cops, which set them running, and brought the kid inside and made him some of that old hot chocolate that you loved and called then cops." He looks back at your face and you see panic fill his eyes quickly.

_ Why are there such scum on this planet. If they would have hurt Frank at all… if they had stayed and hurt Chris more... _ "I-if it makes you feel better I got myself another job through that!" You look at him weirdly for a second as he stumbles to continue. "The kid was waiting for the cops and his mom to come so I was playing some music to cheer him up. By the time they did he asked his mom if he could get lessons, so she asked if I would for however much was standard pay. So now I get to teach Timothy on Saturdays!" He finishes with a smile and lifting his arms in the air triumphantly.

You see the worry still in his eyes. "You always find a way to make good out of the worse situations you dork." You say with a laugh. "But I'm glad that you're getting money at a decent rate now. All you have to do now is stop spending it on tattoos, you idiot." You say, making his happy face drop.

He makes a very exaggerated offended face while lightly placing a hand on his chest. "I will have you know that this tattoo is in honor of Gram Gram you heathen." He says as he holds the camera closer to it.

Its band around his bicep is made of light blue and purple roses and with bright green thorns.  _ She does love her roses _ . "Ok I guess that's acceptable then. How is Gram Gram doing? Last time we talked she had a cold." You try to look closer at his tattoos to see names in the stems and leaves.

He points the camera back to his face. "She is doing good! Still has her outrageous garden and talks to the squirrels and birds. Although her and the raccoons are getting along more lately. They come up to her for food like the squirrels do. Hasn't even got bitten once." He says proudly.

_ Good. I don't think she can handle being sick for long at the age she's at. _ You glance up at the time and feel your eyes widen. "I think I'm going to have to go to talk to you later Pixie. I haven't eaten dinner and it's 8:26 already." You start to feel the hunger that you didn't know you ignored while you guys were talking.

His eyes go from happy to stern. "You better not go and eat a bunch of junk food! You know that sugar before bed can give you nightmares? I expect you to eat something good for you!" He says as sternly and quickly as he can.

You laugh at his attempt at being an adult. "Yeah and I expect you to save money for yourself to eat period sir. Now put some ice on your ugly butt face and go to sleep. You deserve it, I'm very proud of you." You say with a warm smile.

He smiles back at you and attempts to wink at you. "Yeah yeah I will you little softy. I'll talk to you later Vampy, goodnight." He says with a smile.

You stick your tongue out at him. "Goodnight Pixie, talk to you soon." You say before you both say goodbye and hang up.

_ I'm glad he's still a good person. And I'm glad Gram and Frank are doing well too. _ You sit up in bed and get up to go grab some food.  _ I think some taquitos are a great idea. _


	6. Sweets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some sweet thing with a little bit of bitterness. But what is life without both.

You wake up to the sound of your alarm blaring.  _ Crap, I have class today _ . You grab your phone and turn off the alarm. You check the time as you start to get up to get ready.  _ 8:31, plenty of time to slack off and get to class on time. _ You grab a pair of ripped jeans and a black, blue, and purple tie dye t-shirt that says 'I prefer space. Both personal and outer'. You get changed and walk into the living room.

You glance around the room to see if you can spot your hoodie. A black, pink, and yellow patch laying on the coffee table catches your eye.  _ Oh there it is! _ You jog over and grab it. You slip it on and smile slightly as you look at the sunflowers and peonies on the sleeves. You trace along the petals of the flowers for a little bit before walking into the kitchen to grab a bowl of cereal. You check the time again as you start to eat.

_ 8:45, I should probably leave here soon. _ You quickly eat and put some dry food in Sole's bowl. You pet him and give him a kiss on the forehead. He bumps you back and purrs. You grab your backpack with your notes and papers in them and put your laptop in there too.  _ Maybe I should try to save up for a new one. I have had this one for a couple years. _

You shrug and zip your bag up and put it on. You say goodbye to Sole and open the door to leave. You close the door behind you and lock it before you leave for class. You reach for your earbud in your hoodie pocket.  _ Yes! I left them in there. _ You plug them in and start to play some music. The beginning of ' _ I'm me _ ' starts to play as you see Papyrus turn the corner heading for the entrance.

_ Oh he must have class today as well! _ You take out one ear bud and jog over to catch up to him. As you get closer you see he is wearing a nice red long sleeve shirt and light brown pants, with a nice orange and grey backpack. "Good morning Papyrus!" You say as you start to walk next to him.

He jumps slightly and looks down at you with a smile. "OH! HELLO HU- MARCELINE! GOOD MORNING TO YOU AS WELL, I HOPE YOU SLEPT WELL." He says while slowing down a little so you don't have to power walk to keep up with him and his long leggedness.

You smile back at him. "I actually did sleep well, thank you for asking. I hope you did too." You start to absentmindedly humming along with the song as you glance at him for a reply.

His smile softens for a second before going back to it's normal energetic self.  _ Wonder what that was about? _ "IT WAS A LITTLE WEIRD TO SLEEP SOMEWHERE NEW, BUT OTHERWISE I SLEPT FINE!" He says with a small hand gesture. 

You make it to the front doors where Papyrus runs forward to hold the door open. You giggle and thank him for his chivalry. You both start to walk towards the building with most of the classes. After walking for a minute or two he turns to look at you. "MIGHT I ASK WHAT IT IS THAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO?" He asks as he turns to look at you with a tilted head.

_ He wants to know what I listen to? _ "Uh, Y-yeah sure! Um… can… can you wear ear buds?" You ask hesitantly.

He sighs slightly and his smile falls. "SADLY I DON'T HAVE EARS TO HOLD THEM. BUT! I DO HAVE SOMETHING THAT ALPHYS GAVE ME FOR ME AND THOSE WITH EARS SO WE CAN STILL LISTEN TO THE SAME MUSIC!" He takes out a cord that has two plugins for earbuds and one that goes into the phone.

He then pulls out a pair of thinner headphones. He gestures for you to give him your phone. You pause your music and hand it to him. He plugs them into the connector and then into the phone. He puts his headphones on that you have noticed are extra long.  _ He is pretty tall, I don't think I've met anyone this tall before. _ You plug your earbuds in and start the song over.

Before you hit play you feel that you should ask him something. "Hey Papyrus? What building are you going to? And when do you need to be there?" You question.

_ I don't want to make him late or make him have to rush across the entire college.  _ "OH! I AM TRAINING TO BE A COP! BUT I'M TAKING A COUPLE CLASSES TO DO SO, TODAY ITS INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE, AT 9:15, IN BUILDING A. WHAT ABOUT YOU?" He says and asks enthusiastically.

_ I could see him as a very good cop. Maybe. I don't know if a sweet guy like him could handle such disturbing things. And the violence... _ "I'm taking a couple different classes too, but today I have Psychology at 9:30. I'm in building B, it's right next to yours!" You check the time,  _ 8:57, still a good amount of time. _ "Anyway, want me to start the song?" You ask happily.

He nods enthusiastically. It makes you laugh a little as you click play.  _ I never fit in. I get lost in a crowd. _ You start to hum along to the words absentmindedly again. Papyrus moves his headphones slightly without you noticing so he can hear both you and the music.  _ I wanna be cool, but I can't quite figure it out. _

_ I like to tell jokes that no one understaands.  _ He laughs a little under his breath making you both smile.  _ I'm the best damn clarinet player in the high school band.  _ You try to hum along with the clarinet part and almost make the fast notes. You take a breath and start to mumble hum.  _ I may not be perfect but I'm perfectly unique. _ Papyrus watches you out of the side of his sockets with a warm smile.

\-----------------------------------------------------*Papyrus pov*-------------------------------------------------------

The music starts to play and Marceline starts to hum along.  _ WHY DOESN'T SHE LIKE HER VOICE? I THINK IT SOUNDS EXTRAORDINARY! IT'S VERY CALMING TO LISTEN TO AS WELL. _ You slowly move your headphone muff on the right away so you can listen to her and the song. As you both start to walk farther from the dorms she starts to,  _ what seems like,  _ getting closer to softly singing.

You watch and listen to her sing as you both are walking to your classes. Every now and then you see a human or something else that catches your sockets, but your attention always goes back to her voice. _HER SINGING IS SO WONDERFUL! I WOULD EVEN COMPARE IT TO SHYRIN! MAYBE, DARE I SAY, METTATON!_ As she continues singing and the louder she gets ( _no matter how slowly she is doing it)_ the more and more you start to relax.

You look at the trees you both pass and try to guess how much time you'll have.  _ LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER TEN MINUTES. _ You move the sleeve of your shirt back and check your watch.  _ 8:58, SO WE SHOULD ARRIVE THERE ROUGHLY AROUND 9:08.  _ You're pulled from your thoughts as a different song plays that seems to make her sing slightly louder. It starts up with a nice rhythm.  _ "There will come a soldier, who carries a mighty sword! He will tear your city down, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord. Ooh lei, oh laii, oOh lei, oh Lord... He will tear your city down, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord." _ She sticks out her pointer fingers and starts to drum in the air with them.

_ DOES SHE PLAY AN INSTRUMENT? SHE SEEMS TO HAVE GOOD RHYTHM. OH! MAYBE I CAN TEACH HER HOW TO DANCE! I'VE BEEN MEANING TO FIND A PARTNER! METTATON IS ALWAYS BUSY. "There will come a poet. Whose weapon is His word, he will slay you with His tongue, o-oooh-  _ … um." She seems to fidget with her sleeve for a second. "P-papyrus how long have I been singing?" She asks quietly.

The calm that there was seems to fade fast.  _ I FORGOT SHE DOES NOT LIKE TO SING.  _ You feel a bead of sweat roll down your skull. You lower the headphones down off of your head while avoiding her eyes. "W-WELL, YOU DID SING MOST OF THE LAST SONG… AND THE BEGINNING UNTIL YOU STOPPED OF THIS SONG… Y-YOUR VERY GOOD THOUGH! IT WAS AMAZING TO HEAR! I WOULD GO AS FAR AS TO SAY THAT IT WAS SOME OF THE BEST AND YOU WEREN'T EVEN SEEMING TO TRY!" You say quickly with a fake smile and confidence.

_ OH NO. I HOPE I DIDN'T EMBARRASS HER. _ You watch her with concern as she seems to turn red and looks down.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ He could hear me singing that whole time. He must just be saying that to be nice so that I don't cry. I've always been an awful singer. He doesn't really like it. _ You managed a small smile and try to keep from getting upset.  _ We are almost to class. _ "T-thank you Papyrus, I really appreciate that. But I don't agree and would like it if we didn't really talk about it or said anything to anyone." You watch his smile die slightly.  _ Damn it. _ "T-thank you again though!" You say before pulling a bigger smile.

_ He's so sweet, he wouldn't say if he didn't like it or not. He's probably sparing my feelings… _ He smiles back. "ANYTIME MARCY, ALTHOUGH I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU DON'T LIKE YOUR AMAZING SINGING, I FOUND IT TO BE EXTREMELY WONDERFUL. I DO WISH THAT YOU LIKED IT TOO, BUT I WILL SPEAK NO MORE OF IT." He says with a smile and look of understanding and a little sadness.

You both continue your walk in relative silence as he takes his cords back and puts them away. "I DO WANT TO ASK THOUGH. AND I WON'T SPEAK ANY MORE OF IT! BUT WHY DON'T YOU LIKE YOUR SINGING?" He asks in a calmer voice.

_ I definitely don't have enough time to explain that in this amount of time...  _ You fidget for a second.  _ And I met him like two days ago… but. Something about him just says that he is a good guy. _ "I-it's a long story… not really all that interesting either, b-but it's still kinda long." You say in almost a whisper.

He looks serious for the first time you've seen and seems to think it over.  _ Probably wondering if he'd care enough to hear.  _ He checks a watch on his wrist. "WELL... HOW ABOUT I TREAT YOU TO SOME SPAGHETTI AND YOU CAN TELL ME OVER DINNER!" He says proudly of his idea.

_ Oh yeah, he wanted to cook for me.  _ You smile lightly. Before you can even think it slips from your mouth. "Yeah that sounds nice."  _ Why did I say that? _

You panic on the inside for a second. Before noticing that you are now at the splitting part of the buildings. "WELL WONDERFUL, I'M SURE UNDYNE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW AS WELL! I SHALL TEXT YOU A LITTLE BEFORE DINNERTIME! HAVE A NICE TIME IN CLASS!" As he says that he waves to you and walks away.

_ They are still there?! And he wants me to tell all of them. I didn't even mean for any of this to happen! _ You turn and walk into the psychology room a couple minutes early.  _ I need some of Maria's hot cocoa… _ You look around and see her at her desk sipping some, what looks like, green tea. She spots you at the same time and finishes her sip before smiling warmly at you. You smile back while looking back at her dark brown eyes and matching long wavy hair.

She pats the part of the desk that you lean on. You walk over and do so. "What's wrong bomboncita? You seem upset." She asks as she turns to her little blue electric kettle to heat up water.

_ Already making the cocoa. You're the best. _ You sigh. "Too much going on suddenly and I somehow made friends. Or at least one I think."  _ I don't know if the others really like me. _

He turns around and claps. "Marcy! You made friends?! That's wonderful! You haven't had one since- …Well it's been awhile, which is ok, but I'm proud of you!" She claps again and does a little wiggle in her chair.

You laugh as she wiggles and makes cocoa.  _ I like her skirt today, very cute rose pattern. _ She turns and hands you the cocoa. You blow on it and take a sip.  _ Amazing… _ She stands up, brushing off her pink cardigan and turns on the radio.  _ Ah of course  _ _ Desperado _ _ is on, her favorite. _ She grabs your cup and sets it down. "Come bomboncita, dancing always helps make people happy. We've got 10 minutes before anyone really shows up." She says while grabbing your hands to pull you into dancing.

You sigh with a smile. "You know I don't dance pretty lady, I just sit and try not to sigh myself to death." You say as you bring your hand up to your face and do a dramatic pose.

She smirks and dips you making you yelp. "Come now, I know you can dance. Do those moves you showed me!" She says as she tries to quickly shake her hips.

You smile at her.  _ Today is going to be interesting. _ You slowly raise your hands to the beat like snakes. You quickly shimmy your hips faster and faster. As he starts to sing you roll your belly.  _ One decent thing Mom taught me. _ Maria grabs your hands and pulls you to her again and you both start to dance together. As the song goes on and you both laugh and step on each other. You slow as you see the door slightly open and a head pop in.  _ Oh her husband is here. _ He smiles at the two of you.

He walks in as you take the chance to quickly drink your now warm cocoa. His smile grows as he sees her. "Well if I would have known that you still had moves like that I would have came here sooner." He says as he sends a wink your way.

Maria smiles slightly annoyed and playfully slaps his shoulder, making him laugh. "You could always try and dance with me, you old fart. I'm sure that you can at least shuffle." She says as she nudges him.

He laughs. "I still have a few steps left in me, I'm sure I could throw a couple fancy side steps and slides." He says to her in a cocky tone. She smiles at him. "I just wanted to say you forgot your lunch my love." He gives her a peck on the lips and hands her a bag he had behind his back.

She kisses him back and grabs the bag. "Oh that's wonderful! I don't want to have to live on coffee today. The kids would probably kill me. Thank you me amore." She says as she gives him another peck and hugs him goodbye.

People start to slowly come in. You laugh a little after he leaves. "You guys are adorable, you know that right?" You say with a cheeky smile.

She laughs. "You'll find that one day bomboncita. And then you'll have others calling you and your handsome man adorable." She says with a wink. You make a gagging sound. "Suuure. A pretty girl like you will have no trouble getting a nice man." She says confidently.

You walk over to take a seat for class. "Oh no there is plenty of trouble with men in general." You say before the larger crowd comes meandering in.

Everyone takes their seats as she goes to the door and locks it.  _ Poor people who are late. I wonder what questions she will ask this time. _ You wait as you see a guy come running over and try to open the door. "What is the olfactory system?" She asks flatly.

The guy panics before blurting, "I-it's the part of your brain that deals with smells right?!" He says panicked.

The class chuckles. She waits a second or two. "Well I suppose that is right. Go sit down Randy." She says sweetly. She grabs his hands and places something in it.

  
_ Wow he must have looked really scared for her to give him some candy. _ You set everything out quickly as you get ready to take more notes.


	7. Pizza time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lovely lunch, a fast run to work, yelling and cute old people, some past talk and pizza.

The bell rings and you start to pack everything back up. You put in an earbud and hit shuffle on your playlist as you make your way to the door. Someone to you starts to play. You smile as you check your phone.  _ One hour to work on school work and then 30 minutes to run to work. Time for lovely Saturday work day... _ You think bitterly as you walk out of class and hum along to the music.  _ No singing this time. _

You follow the crowd to the lunch room.  _ I don't want to go to that dinner. But what do I say?! 'Hey sorry I don't want to explain to almost strangers that are kinda my friends that I got yelled at a lot for it and criticized non stop, so sorry I don't like singing and act like a bitch about it. How do I say that without being a dick? _ You grab a sandwich and a juice and look around to see how to get outside.

Something moving around catches your eye. You look over to see Papyrus waving next to Alphys, both standing around with something in their hands. You smile and wave back while heading over to them. You pause your music as you get closer you see that Alphys has a cup of noodles and Papyrus has a Tupperware box full of pasta. You make it over and smile at both of them. "What's up guys?" You ask while unwrapping your sandwich.

Papyrus looks around again. ""WELL WE WERE TRYING TO FIND A PLACE TO SIT, BUT WE ARE SADLY HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THAT." Papyrus says with a sigh.

Alphys nods and also looks around. "Do you guys have any classes soon?" They both shake their head no. "Well then you can come to where I eat lunch and study if you want." You say as you take a bite of your food.

_ Yesss. It's one of the good samiches this time. _ They nod yes. Papyrus looks excited as Alphys looks intrigued. You turn on your heel and walk out of the building. They follow you closely. "So I wasn't expecting to bring anyone with me, so I apologize if I can't fit you both on my blanket." You say as you head towards the lightly wooded area.

You feel them get slightly closer. "I-it's fine! I'm s-sure it's a cool sp-spot." Alphys says while looking around.

You follow your path made out of small strings tied to the high up branches.  _ Man that was a pain to do. _ After a little bit of walking mostly straight you take a sharp turn left that makes Papyrus stumble at first. "MARCELINE HOW DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR PATH TO YOUR SPOT?" Papyrus asks curiously.

You smile. "It's a secret, I made my own puzzle to get there. You just need to keep your head up." You say with a smile. "If you were to figure it out it would color me impressed!" You try not to laugh at the last one.

Papyrus bound slightly ahead of you. "A PUZZLE?! I LOVE PUZZLES! WHAT KIND IS IT?" He asks excitedly.

You see the stars appearing in his eyes again. You smile at him.  _ Good to know. _ "It's like eye spy and codes. Purple means mud, yellow means turn coming up, red means left, blue means right, and green is most likely a leaf." You say with a small laugh at the end.

They both look around before Papyrus jumps up. "OH! YOU'VE HIDDEN THEM IN THE BRANCHES UP HIGH! HOW SMART, NO ONE WOULD SUSPECT THAT!" He says while staring up at them.

You check your phone.  _ 11:59, I got plenty of time. _ Alphys pulls your sleeve softly. You put your phone away and look at her. "H-how did you put those u-u-up there?" She asks while pointing up.

Papyrus turns left as do all of you. "Oh I just climbed the trees and tied them on there as tightly as I could in the best spots I could find." You say while turning to a hollow tree.

They both stop to see you pull out a smallish purple and white picnic blanket. You walk a little further into a nice clearing you found on the first week here. You lay the blanket down on the grass and motion for them to sit down on the blanket.  _ It probably won't fit the three of us comfortably. Maybe I can find a decent place. _ They both sit down and then look back at you. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO SIT? THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A FRIEND FRIENDLY PICNIC BLANKET!" Papyrus asks as he looks around.

You look around to see a nearby tree branch that looks close to them. You smile slightly. "Watch and see." You say as you walk over to it.

_ Looks like a maple tree! _ You look at the trunk for a second before jumping up. You cling to it for a second before scrambling up to the first branch. You grab onto the one above it and start to walk along it till you get to the one you were looking at. You step down to it while running your hand on the branch you were walking on. You make your way closer to them before sitting down. Grabbing your sandwich from your bag you try to not laugh at their astonished faces.

You take a sip from your juice. "Have you guys never climbed a tree before? It's pretty fun." You ask curiously.

_ I heard there were plants underground, but I don't know if there were trees. Or if they did since they got out. _ You unclip the strap on one side of your bag and wrap it around the tree before re-clipping it. You move so you can lay on your stomach. "W-well the p-p-part of the underground that I-I live in didn't ha-have trees. A-and I r-rarely w-went to the pl-places that did." Alphys says the last part a little quieter.

Papyrus's smile dims slightly. "NYEH… SADLY I DID NOT. IT NEVER CROSSED MY MIND THAT TREES WOULD BE GOOD FOR CLIMBING." He says, seeming slightly bummed by that.

You take a couple bites from your food. They start to eat as well and enjoy your little hiding place.  _ I should at least ask when dinner is. _ "Hey Papyrus? When do you normally start dinner? It totally spaced my mind that I have to go to work in about an hour." You try to say as normally as possible.

He thinks for a second. "WELL NORMALLY WE HAVE DINNER AT 6! BUT WE COULD HAVE IT LATER DEPENDING ON WHEN YOUR OFF OF WORK. WHAT TIME DO YOU GET OFF WORK?" He asks curiously.

You think for a second.  _ I'm supposed to get off at 8:00, but I normally stop working at like,  _ _ 8:30ish _ _.  _ "I normally get done with work around 8:30 and get home at around 9." You say as you watch a bird land on a nearby tree.

He seems to think for a moment again. "WELL I NORMALLY GO TO BED AROUND THEN. AND THE OTHERS ARE LEAVING TOMORROW AFTER AN EARLY LUNCH. SO THAT SEEMS PROBLEMATIC…" he thinks for a moment. "YOU COULD COME TO LUNCH OF YOU WANTED! IT WILL BE AROUND 10:00!" He says brightly.

_ Why are you so determined to get me to talk about this. Maybe I can just avoid the topic the whole time… _ You feel yourself sweat a little. "Y-yeah! Works for me." You say as you force more sandwich into your mouth.

After a while of sitting and talking, you hop down from the branch and walk to work. They help you clean up and walk with you on your way out. "T-that is a r-really pretty spot Mar-marceline! How d-did you find it?" Alphys asks as she looks up at the strings in the trees.

You fake a small smile. "Well I was having a really bad day and uh…  decided that it would be a nice day to go walking aimlessly in the woods. And after awhile I found a small clearing and…  rested for a bit. The next day I went looking for it. After about a week I put up the strings." You say as you watch her think about what you said.

Papyrus also seems to be thinking. "MARCY, WHY WERE YOU HAVING A BAD DAY ON THAT DAY?" Papyrus asks innocently.

_ Uh… would saying classified be a good answer? _ You think for a second. "I ran into a really mean person and made me feel bad. That's all." You say quickly.  _ No need to dwell on that right now. _ "A-anyway, I started coming here so often that if you look at the ground hard enough that you can see where I walk." As soon as you finish that sentence Papyrus looks down to see.

Alphys stares at you for a while without you noticing. You start to talk and chatter about the classes you had today as you all make your way out of the woods. When you make it out you all start heading back to the dorms. About halfway there you all just walk together in a relatively peaceful silence. As you guys finally make it to the building Alphys timidly pulls on your sleeve. "M-marceline? I wa-was wondering if I c-could have your n-number? It would only be s-so we could talk more!" She finishes quickly.

You blink.  _ She wants to talk with me more?  _ "Yeah totally! I love talking with you, here." You say as you pull out your phone and show her your number.

She fumbled for a second to pull her phone out of her black skirt pocket.  _ I never really looked at her outfit today. _ You look at her light grey blouse and longer black skirt. You then look at Papyrus's outfit again.  _ Man I must look like a hobo. _ She puts her information in your phone and hands it back. "Y-you can text m-me whenever! Just d-don't b-be surprised if I a-ask you some h-human questions." She says half as a joke and half as a way of testing the waters.

You smile gently at her. "Sounds like a fair trade!" You say in a chipper way.

_ Middle school and high school health and general science don't fail me. _ She smiles at you happily. You all make it back to the dorms and say your goodbyes. You see Sans walk by the door and send you a weird smile.  _ What kind of look was that? _ You shrug it off and quickly go into your dorm to get dressed into your uniform. You check the time and feel your blood run cold. You run to the bathroom.  _ Man work is gonna be rough today. I can already feel it. _

You put your hair up and quickly run out the door and lock it before turning and running again.  _ I have to be at work in 15 minutes! Shit! _ You book it out of the building and cut across the road.  _ Can't take the safe route today. _ You quickly jump over a small fence and run through the track and hop the fence on the other side. You make a sharp turn and run down the sidewalk. You check your phone again.  _ 4 minutes. Shitshitshit. _

You see your work and try to push yourself to run a little faster. You make it to the front of the pizza shop and quickly head to the back to clock in. You check the time as you do.  _ Right on time… thank god. _ You sigh and head into the kitchen. You look around and see Kevin and your boss bickering. You quickly grab the company car keys and walk over to the orders.

You listen in as you try to pick up as many boxes so you don't have to make multiple trips.  _ They are fighting over stupid politics. Of course. _ You look over the amount you have in your hands.  _ There are too many… Whoever works before me is lazy as hell or a lot of people want pizza today. _ You quickly grab the older ones and take them out to the car and put them on the top rack to stay warmer. You walk back in and try to creep through the front to get the boxes.

You grab the rest of the boxes. "HEY! Marceline! Come here." Your boss yells in a 'now or else' kind of voice.

You jump at him yelling and put the orders down before walking over quickly. He waves at you impatiently. Keven slaps at his hands. "Dude don't bring other people into this! You're just pissed because you're a racist asshole that was caught being wrong!" Kevin's looks at you with apologetic eyes. "She has work to do anyway! You should let her do so." He says in a huff.

Your Boss snaps at you and points at the ground. "Come closer, I'm not gonna hurt you." You take a couple small steps closer. He rolls his eyes and takes a step closer. "Do you agree that monsters should be given the same rights as us? I mean, they were obviously put under that mountain for a reason. Shouldn't they just go back and fuckin starve? They don't deserve to be here. Let alone order food from here!" He says in a half yell.

You feel the anger buildup inside yourself too.  _ Why this conversation again. _ "Sir. I will tell you what I said a couple days ago, I would prefer to keep my political views to myself and not get into arguments about them. Like Kevin said, I have work to do. Have a good day." You quickly turn around and grab the boxes and head for the door.

He grabs your arm tightly making you freeze.  _ Ow _ . "Why do you always dodge my questions? It's like you sympathize with those  _ disgusting things. _ " His grip tightens making it hurt more. "Just tell us your opinion and we will let you get back to work." He says weirdly calm.

You take a deep breath and turn to him with the same eerie calmness and steely eyes. "Mr. Smith, I have told you before I don't like being grabbed. I will ask you nicely to let go of my arm and to not do that again." You say in a flat and amused tone.

He reluctantly let's go of your arm. You turn around and briskly walk out the door. You try to keep your calm until you sit down in the car.  _ Just wait one more minute. Then it will be ok. _ You start the car and haphazardly drive away. You look at the location for the first couple deliveries.  _ Lots on the campus today. _ You drive halfway there and find a place to pull over.

You park the car and take a long deep breath, hold it for a couple seconds, and then scream. You sit there for a second after you're done and drive to the first house.  _ Everything's fine now.  _ You grab the order and walk to the door. As you walk up you look at the cracked concrete and poorly kept house.  _ Must be a little low on money to fix it. _

You look at the small weeds growing in the garden by the long dead flowers and frown slightly. You ring the bell and plaster the usual smile on. An elderly couple opens the door and your smile turns slightly more real. "I'm sorry you two but I believe that I need an adult to pay. You both don't look old enough to order anything." You say with a warm smile.

The elderly lady laughs and covers her smile as the older gentleman smiles at you and her. "We could say the same about you working young lady! But I'd say we could all look the other way for pizza." The older man says. "Now, how much do I owe you young lady?" He says as he reaches for his wallet.

You check the order and try not to frown a little.  _ This isn't the riches part of town… _ "It will be 34.70 sir." You say cautiously.

You see their faces fall slightly and the older lady looks inside. You look as well to see a small family party going on. You glance at the order again.  _ A bottle of soda, a medium pizza, a small pizza, and some cookies. _ You frown slightly.  _ That bastard is overcharging again. _ "Oh wait, I must have miss read it." You glance at the old man's wallet.  _ Two tens and a couple ones. _ "It's only thirteen dollars sir." You say with a small smile.

They both look shocked for a minute before smiling warmly at you. "You don't have to do that young miss. I just would have to grab my wallet as well." The older lady says.

Your smile dims a little.  _ I know what dirt poor is and… I hate to say it but you guys seem barely a step above. _ You make your smile slightly brighter. "Just tell your grandkid that I said happy birthday ma'am, if he has a good birthday then that can cover the rest." You say trying to keep your smile up.

_ This is gonna hurt my wallet. _ "Well you have to be the nicest pizza girl I've met." He says as he hands you both a ten and all of his ones. "Please keep the change girly." He says with a smile.

You hand over the food and wave by to them. You hear a little boy cheer happily. You get into the car and grab your wallet and pull a wad of ones out.  _ Close enough. _ And with that, you drive to the next order, occasionally going back to your work to grab more orders. None of the other houses are as eventful as the first until you get to the frat house. Music is blasting from the house.  _ It's not even dark out yet. _ You feel yourself groan on the inside.

_ Just make it quick and don't talk a lot. _ You grab the twelve large pizzas and walk to the door. You knock on the door loudly. A big muscular guy answers the door and yells back into the house, "THE PIZZA HAS ARRIVED!" As loud as he can.

Cheers come from everywhere in the house and it quiets down a little as some head towards the door to help. "That will be 56 in total sir." You say with a smile.

_ Just give me the money and let me leave. _ You see him put his hand back and yell the amount. "Just give us a second beautiful, gotta collect the money." He says with a wink.

You try very hard to keep a neutral face. After a minute or so he hands you a pile of money and hands you a separate ten dollars. "That's yours gorgeous. If you get off work soon you should come down and party with us." He says with a wink.

_ I'd rather eat the road kill that most resembles your face then do anything that you have in mind or hang out with drunk strangers. _ "I'll see, I have a busy day today. But I hope your party is a rager." You say as you hand the food over.

He tries to throw a charming smile at you. "Well in that case how about your number?" He says as he grabs the food.

You shake your head. "Sorry but I'm already taken, but I'm sure you'll get a girl tonight man." You say with a bright smile.

He smiles back and goes back into the party and you quickly walk to your car.  _ Must be too drunk to see right. _ You look at the next couple orders.  _ Dorms next. Yay… _ You start the car again and make your way there. You stop by work to see if there are any extra orders. You quickly go in and grab what you see is done.  _ Kevin can get the rest of them, I'm done after these few. _

You check your phone after you get everything settled in the car.  _ 7:01, an hour and a half to go! _ You glance over them to see if there is anything specific for them.  _ College students seem to have more specific requests… or just requests in general. _ A couple of them make you laugh and some make you sigh loudly. You start the car and drive off to the dorms. You park at the first few and get to work.

You purposely do the ones that have no request first and then go down the line of difficulty. A few people asked for jokes, one was a monster and wanted to ask if the food was actually good. "Pizza is a general human favorite and my work sells decent ones. But the cookies are amazing, I get some after work." You say as you smile at him.

He was a very buff horse on the top half and an eel or fish of some sort on the bottom.  _ Sea horse? _ You hand him the pizza and cookie. He grabs them and flexes with them. You flex back at him and he seems to smile brightly.  _ He gave me a twenty dollar tip! I should flex more! _ You continue on with the others.  _ Lot of jokes to be told tonight. _ You eventually get back into the car and drive to your dorm.

_ Not a lot here tonight.  _ You grab seven pizzas, two sodas, and five cookies and walk into the building. You slowly make your way down.  _ No really bad requests either! _ You tell a joke and just take the money slid under the door and leave the soda and pizza for another. You look at the address on the next one.  _ Did Papyrus order a pizza? _

You knock on the door. After a little bit you hear someone stop at the door. "Who's there?" Sans's voice calls from the other side. 

_ Really? _ You sigh with a small smile. "Pizza." You say while leaning against the wall.

"Pizza who?" He says with a small huff of a laugh.

"Pizza great guy, but he’s on holiday, so I had to come." You quickly respond. 

You hear a mix of laughs and groans. The door opens slowly. You see Sans with a big smile on his face. “well i guess that your crummy joke will have to cut it.” He says as he grabs the cookies.

You laugh slightly at his joke and hand Undyne the rest. “Oh this smells good! Whatcha put on these things?” She asks as she makes room for Papyrus to get to the door and pay.

_ Did she not get to hear the order? _ “Oh, the small one is cheese, the medium one is pepperoni and sausage, and the other medium one is a supreme.” You say as you read off of the recite.

Papyrus gives you a random wad of cash. “Sweet, a supreme pizza for supreme monsters!” She says and walks away.

You start to count the money.  _ Ten, fifteen… seventy seven dollars?! _ You quickly look up at Papyrus. “U-um Papyrus? You do know you gave me way too much money right?” You ask as you separate the right amount and the extra. “It’s only forty dollars and fifty cents.” You say as you try to hand the extra thirty six dollars and try to fish out fifty cents from your pocket.

He seems confused. “OH, I FORGOT THINGS ARE MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE UP HERE. YOU CAN KEEP IT FOR A TIP IF YOU LIKE!” He says happily as he lightly places his hand on your shoulder.

You feel tears in your eyes.  _ There is no way I can accept that. _ You laugh a little. “Papyrus I can’t accept that! That's way too much! You do know normally people tip like, the extra change or ten bucks at most!” You say semi shocked.

He seems more puzzled. “WELL THEN I WILL GO ABOVE AVERAGE AND GIVE YOU THIS MONEY!” He says proudly while turning and walking away. “BUT IF IT BOTHERS YOU SO THEN YOU COULD REPAY ME BY HAVING DINNER WITH US TONIGHT! I FIGURED I COULD STAY UP A LITTLE LATER FOR MY FRIENDS!” He says while smiling brightly at you.

_ He really is too kind for his own good. _ You smile back at him while trying not to cry at the bonus money.  _ I really can’t accept this. What if he needs it more? _ “I’ll be back as soon as I can then.” You say as you place the tip on a nearby table and quickly close the door and walk away.


	8. Music runs in the 'family'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out the reason for Marcelines hatred for her singing and some musical memories over dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being gone for a bit!! I wrote all the previous chapters before I started posting and now have to try to make a schedule. I'll try and post as often as I can, but i'm normally writing late a night so it might take me awhile for me to get some of them out (>^<)

You grab the cookies and wait on the couch. You watch as Papyrus hands Marceline a wad of cash.  _ paps… i told you that you can’t do that. _ You watch her count the money and start to panic at him while trying to give some of it back. He reclines. The same thing happens but a bit calmer and he reclines again. You watch as tears welled up in her eyes before he says something that makes her smile and says something back. He smiles and turns back around. She places the tip of the table next to the door and quickly turns to leave, closing the door behind her. You hold back a laugh.  _ never seen someone turn down one of papyrus’s tips. you're just full of surprises smalls.  _ You look and see that Alphys saw the same thing. “how long do you think till paps will notice?” You ask while grabbing a cookie.

_ still warm, like it just came out of the oven. _ You turn to look at Alphys to see her thinking it over. “I-i’d say either from when he l-lets her in wh-when she comes back or b-before. What's yo-your bet?” She asks as she looks at you.

You think it over.  _ paps isn’t all that observant when there isn’t an obvious reason to be. _ “i say when she is here till after she leaves.” You say with a laid back smile. You take a bite of your cookie.  _ this is really good! _ “what do you say, five g?” You ask as you hold up a gold coin.

You see a small gleam in her eyes. “Y-your on.” She says boldly.

Undyne and Papyrus start to set the table and lay the pizzas out on the boxes. “So when and how are you gonna ask the small fry?” Undyne asks Papyrus, catching your attention.  _ ask what? _ You lean back a little to hear better. “I mean she didn’t seem too keen on talking about it from what you told me happened earlier today.” Undyne says while putting the plates down loudly.

Papyrus is doing the same with the silverware.  _ what have i missed? _ “NYEH… I AM NOT SURE UNDYNE. I THOUGHT MAYBE WE COULD BRING UP MUSIC SO THAT SHE WOULD NOT FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE AND TALK FREELY ABOUT IT. WHAT DO YOU THINK?” Papyrus asks in a concerned tone.

She seems to think about it. “That sounds like a really good plan Papyrus! Nice job!” You hear a fork cladder on the floor. “Fu hu hu hu hu!” You hear her laugh.

You hear Papyrus grunt. “NO! DON’T NOOGIE THE SKELETON!” Papyrus yells out.

_ does she not like her singing? why? sounded good from what i heard. _ Your little ’mistake’ pops into your head again.  _ ha. no. not thinking of that. _ “so alphys,” you quickly say. “learn anything new in class?” You ask as you hear the other two walk in.

_ sounds like a good subject change. _ She thinks it over. “W-well we haven’t really learned any new things a-as much as we are reviewing some of th-things. We are s-still learning about h-human insides.” She says as she checks her phone and then thinks for a second longer. “Marceline doesn’t work t-too far away r-r-right? Papyrus will get tired soon.” She says while glancing from him to you.

Papyrus laughs. “NOT TO WORRY ALPHYS! I TOOK A SHORT NAP SO THAT I WON'T BE BOTHERED BY LESS SLEEP!” He states proudly.

You quickly turn to Paps. “you took a nap today?! you’re becoming like me! i knew you had it in you!” You say with a huge smile.

Paps freezes. And then looks at you panicked and upset. “NO! I AM NOT A LAZY BONES LIKE YOU! I WAS NAPPING FOR PRODUCTIVITY AND SOCIALIZING!” He says quickly.

You go to say something before you all hear the door next door slam. You all kinda look at each other and then hear a muffled yell.  _ well ok then. _ Undyne shuffles slightly. “Well, someone seems to have a hidden ball of rage.” She says with a chuckle.

You smile lazily. “yeah, seems to be all the  _ rage _ now and days. it’s kind of  _ mad- _ ning.” You say with a small chuckle.

Papyrus’s face seems to get comically angry looking. “SAAAANS!” He says as he stops his foot.

Your smile grows. “what paps? you know i have a method to my  _ mad _ -ness, and i need to go through with it. can’t let these good puns get  _ pissed  _ away.” You say trying not to laugh at his face. 

Paps goes to say something but gets interrupted by a knock on the door. You all kind of glance around at each other before Paps goes to open the door in a hurry.

\-----------------------------------------------------------Marclines pov.-------------------------------------------------

You walk into your dorm and slam the door shut behind you.  _ WHY THE HELL IS IT MY FAULT THAT YOUR A SELF CENTERED, RACIST, MISOGYNISTIC, PIG THAT CAN’T KEEP HIS GRUBBY HANDS TO HIMSELF. I SWEAR TO GOD I’M GONNA FU- _ “GRAAAAAAGH!” You yell in a rage. Sole jumps and meows loudly at you. “I’m not the one who thought that grabbing female workers' ass was funny. I’m not the one who pays the guy that I hate more than the girl who I flirt with every given time. I’m not the one who overcharges. I’m not the person who didn’t let people get pizza because they were obviously monsters!” You loudly rant as you march to your room.

_ Fucking threaten to fire me because he realized that served monster. With respect.  _ You haphazardly throw on some black jeans and a soft green hoodie before huffing and walking into your bathroom.  _ I’m the only girl that puts up with his bull shit at work without really complaining, and what do I get? My tips taken and my job on the line for being a decent person. I swear I'm marching in there tomorrow and quitting. _ You think angrily as you harshly take out your hair and brush your fingers through it quickly.

You throw on a little make-up to hide your bags and a little mascara to look nicer in general. You take a couple deep breaths before walking out and reaching down to pet Sole. “I’m sorry Sully, I didn’t mean to worry you.” You pick him up and give him a hug. “Lets feed you real quick and then I need to go.” You say as you give him a kiss and put him down.

You put some wet food in his bowl and mix it with the leftover dry food before leaving. You take a couple deep breaths and then knock on the door. You don’t hear anything for a second. You take a small step back.  _ Maybe they went to bed already? _ Before you can ponder on that any longer you hear footsteps coming your way. You see someone start to open the door and you place the biggest smile that you can muster onto your face. “AH WELCOME BACK MARCY! WE ARE READY TO EAT NOW THAT WE HAVE THE LAST PERSON!” He states happily.

You force a laugh. “You could have started without me Papyrus, I wouldn’t have minded.” You tell him as he escorts you in. “But I appreciate you waiting.” You feel some of your anger ebb away.

You see that everyone is making their way to the table, so you follow suit. You look at where to sit. Paps and Undyne take the heads of the table, Sans sits in the seat closest to him and Alphys sits in the seat nearest Undyne.  _ I guess I'll sit by Alphys and Papyrus.  _ You take your seat and wait to see what they do. They all reach in and grab some slices, you do so as well and grab some pepperoni and sausage.  _ This one is by far my favorite. _ Before you can say anything you see Alphys whip out her phone almost instantly after it dings. You pause before looking at everyone again. “So, how was everyone's day?” You ask while looking around.

There is a small pause before, surprisingly to you, Sans turns to you and says, “well my day was pretty  _ rib _ tickling. but i don’t think that paps found my puns to be super  _ humorous _ .” He shoots Papyrus a look before leaning towards you and loudly whispering. “i don’t have the  _ back bone _ to ask if he has a  _ bone _ to pick with me.” He says to you with a lazy smile.

You try your hardest not to laugh at the sudden puns being unloaded on you. You glance at Papyrus and his face makes you lose it.  _ If he had veins he would have bursted one by now. _ “SAAANS!! I WILL NOT LET YOU RUIN THIS NICE EVENING WITH YOUR PUNS!” Papyrus erupts.

You try to smother your laugh by taking a bite of pizza. As Papyrus loudly scolds Sans you turn to the other two. “So how was your guy’s day?” You look between them.

Undyne glances at Alphys for a second before speaking. “Well I had a pretty good day, got to spend time with those boneheads and Alphys, not to mention lift and move all kinds of stuff!” She says with a grin. “How was your day Al?” She asks nicely while turning her gaze to Alphys.

Alphys seems to think for a second. “M-my day was g-g-good, got to sp-spend time with everyone!” She smiles before continuing. “B-b-ut I do have a q-question M-Marceline, I-If thats o-o-k o-of course!” She says quickly.

She fidgets with her sleeves on her sweater. The ‘boneheads’ also start to listen in. “I don’t mind at all, you can ask as many questions as you like! What’s your question Alphys?” You say with a smile.

She seems to calm down a little. “W-well in class today we were talking about v-v-vocal chords and h-how they work, what comes into p-play to make words or s-sing, a-and other t-things like that. D-do you re-really know a-anything about them?” She asks with a small gleam in her eyes.

You think about it for a second.  _ Only thing I remember is how complex it can be. _ “Sorry Alphys, the most I can remember is that your mouth is the part that makes the words. The vocal cords just make sounds and tones.” You try to think some more.  _ What was it that Gram always said? _ “Oh! And that when you get a sore throat it means your vocal cords are swollen.” You say with a small nod. Alphys fumbles for a second before taking a notepad from seemingly nowhere and writing something down. “I hope that helps any.” You say with a small smile.

She puts her notepad away and nods. “I-it helps a lot! Th-thank you!” She says happily. “O-oh s-speaking of tones and s-similar th-things, U-undyne how is t-the song y-your writing g-going?” Alphys says with a small mischievous smile.

You see Undyne’s face light up like a cherry.  _ Same color as some cherries too. _ She coughs a couple times as everyone's attention goes to her while you all continue eating. “W-well, you see, the problem is that i'm not much of a writer. I’m better at playing the piano than making things to play, so it’s taking me a while.” She says while scratching the back of her neck.

_ Undyne plays an instrument?! _ “You play the piano too?!” You say loudly, startling everyone. “Thats awesome Undyne!” You tell her with a smile. 

Her nervous smile seems to brighten. “Of course it’s awesome! Everything I do is! But if I heard correctly, you said ‘too’? So you play piano as well? Or do you know someone who does?” She asks curiously.

_ Oh lovely, what a lovely thing to talk about _ . You think bitterly. You take a bite of pizza as the eyes get moved to you.  _ Crap. _ “Well my uh… my Grandma plays piano, she doesn’t play a whole lot anymore, but she loves piano anyway. She... well she taught me how to play piano.” You say with a small shrug. “She taught me how to do a lot of things.” You say much quieter.

_ Gram gram you're probably the only reason I can live alone. _ You see Undyne and Papyrus thinking really hard. “WHAT ELSE DID YOUR GRANDMOTHER TEACH YOU MARCELINE?” He asks, semi excited.

You laugh a little at his enthusiasm. “Well she gave me that recipe box you saw before, she taught me more about cooking, she taught me knitting, and she taught me a lot about music. Then my brother took that over to try and get us to start a two person band.” You say with a small laugh. “Grandma and him would butt heads all the time on what I should practice.” You say fondly.

You look up from your pizza to see Papyrus about to explode from the smile on his face, Sans leaning in, Alphys listening intently, and Undyne doing the same but with a mouth full of pizza. Before you can say anything else Papyrus asks very loudly. “YOU HAVE A BROTHER?!” He has those stars in his eyes again.

You flinch a little then laugh. “Well technically yes I do, his name is Christopher. He’s my older brother to be exact.” You say as you see Undyne’s face light up.

She cups her face and looks up dramatically. “Awww so you're the baby of the family.” She says mockingly.

You see Sans scoot a little closer. “so what do you mean by technically your brother?” He asks, tilting his head a little.

_ I really need to watch my mouth around people. _ You feel a small sweat as you try to think of how to say this without telling too much. “W-well when I was younger his Grandma was taking care of him, and then when I was in need of a family she adopted me and I became his little sister. Although we acted like it a lot already before then, I've known him since I was little.” You say while forcing a laugh. “But anyway, our Grandma would want me to practice piano with her all the time. But Christopher wanted me to play the drums and sing with him while he played guitar and would sing lead.” You say a little quick trying to keep from going too far into the past.

_ I remember him trying so hard and would hate asking Gram for help. _ “OH WELL THAT WAS VERY NICE OF HER! YOUR GRANDMOTHER SOUNDS SO NICE.” He says with a smile. “BUT YOU SAY YOU AND YOUR BROTHER USED TO SING AND PLAY MUSIC TOGETHER?” He asks curiously.

_ Why is talking to people a minefield! _ You feel the small sweat grow. “Uh… yeah, he was determined to make us super stars.” You say with jazz hands. “He actually still plays guitar and sings, it’s one of his jobs. I’m glad he still does too.” You say thinking of your last talk with him.

You see Undyne perk up. “So do you not play or sing anymore? Why not?” She asks while resting her chin on her hand.

Everyone has seemed to be done or just nibbling on toppings.  _ Fuck. _ “I uh… I sometimes play drums when I get the chance and I always play piano when I go to visit my Grandma. I didn’t really sing a lot to begin with and I rarely do it purposely now.” You say quietly.  _ How do I change the topic!? _ “But uh, do any of you guys play instruments or have other hobbies?” You ask quickly.

Sans chuckles. “hey now smalls if you try to jump topics too hard you might just give us all whiplash. why don’t you like to sing?” He asks as he folds his hands together and rests his head on them.

He raises a  _ brow bone(?) _ at you. The others lean in a bit more. “I-i…” You look down.  _ Why? _ “W-why?” You take a small breath. “You’ve all only known me really for like two days. Why do you all care so much.” You look back up and see they all seem confused.

Papyrus leans back a little. “DOES THAT MEAN THAT I CAN’T BE WORRIED WHY MY FRIEND DOESN’T LIKE SOMETHING ABOUT THEMSELF?” He asks worriedly? “I DON’T WANT TO PRESSURE YOU OR MAKE YOU VERY UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT I WOULD STILL LIKE TO KNOW IF IT IS OK WITH YOU.” He says calmly.

You blink at his honesty. “smalls, one thing ‘bout most monsters is that we can get attached to those we see as friends much quicker than humans. so we don’t act friendly just cause like some of you humans. not to be rude, but that's just what i’ve seen. we want to know cause it bothers you and want to know why.” He says softly.

_ What the hell is going on.  _ You feel tears start to sting in your eyes.  _ Why do they care? _ “I KNOW MOST HUMANS DON’T TRUST EASY, BUT WE WOULDN’T TELL A SOUL!” He says in a chipper yet reassuring tone.

_ Maybe it will be ok to talk to someone for once.  _ You blink a couple times to keep the tears back. “It's not a huge story or incredibly interesting.” You look at them all to see them all intently listening. You sigh. “...When I was really young, probably no older than five, I would sing a lot. My mom didn’t like it and would tell me not to, she did that almost every time I did. My d-dad… well he had ruder ways of telling me to stop. I guess it just hurt my feelings enough to where it stuck with me.” You pause and look at all their faces.  _ They… they look like they actually care. _ “But a-anyway they just did that for a long time. So yeah.” You look back down at your empty plate.

They sit there quietly for a second. You continue to stare at your plate.  _ I shouldn’t have said anything. They aren’t going to want to talk anymore. I’ve said too much. I’m so- _ “I’M SORRY THAT YOUR PARENTS DID THAT MARCY. BUT FOR THE RECORD, I THINK THAT IT IS AMAZING.” Papyrus says calmly again.

“Yeah shortcake. I might not have heard a whole lot, but what I did hear sounded really good! Your parents don’t know what they're talking about. Hell! If they ever say it again, let me know! I’ll beat them up for you!” She says jokingly. 

You laugh a little.  _ Good luck. _ “I-i haven’t gotten th-the chance to h-hear you sing before, b-but i’m sure y-you sound amazing!” Alphys chimes in with a kind smile.

Sans grabs something and waves it in front of you. You look up to see him offering you a cookie. You grab it and take a bite. “listen smalls, just because they weren’t smart enough to realize how good you can sing doesn't mean that they are right.” he says while leaning back in his chair.

You smile at them all. “I appreciate everything you’re all saying, but if you don’t stop I might cry.” You say with a small laugh.

Papyrus jumps and looks concerned. “OH NO PLEASE DON’T CRY! THAT ISN’T WHAT WAS MEANT TO HAPPEN!” He says in a panic.

You laugh a little more. “Oh no, Papyrus I meant I might cry because what you're all saying is really nice. I-i just feel overwhelmed.” You say quietly. “You’re all so nice… thank you.” You take another bite of your cookie.

_ Still kinda warm. _ You smile slightly and try to keep my tears back.  _ Don’t be a cry baby Marceline. _ “WELL OF COURSE WE ARE! WE’RE YOUR FRIENDS RIGHT?” Papyrus says with a smile. “NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT HOBBIES WE HAVE!” He says with a clap of his hands.

You laugh at his change of subject. “I see what you mean by whiplash Sans.”


	9. The past often hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lets take the painful route for some memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i sorry

*warning triggering actions and rude words. I will put “ *end* ” at the end of it.*

_ “Why do you sound like a group of dying cats? Are you even trying to sing?” Mom asks with a hint of disgust. You nod. “Well then that settles that then. My answer is no. You're not embarrassing yourself, or more importantly, Me. So no, you can’t join choir, so just go back to your room and leave me alone. Your dad should be home soon anyway.” She says with a wave of her hand. _

_ You walk to your room quickly with tears in your eyes. You quietly close your door and crumple onto your bed.  _ I knew I wasn’t going to be good enough.  _ You let out a sob and hug your pillow close. _

_. _

_. _

_. _

_ “Hey come’er. Buddies wanna get a look at you.” Dad waves you over. _

_ You walk over and feel their eyes on you already. “W-what do you want me to do?” You ask while avoiding looking him in the eyes. _

_ He thinks about it for a second while stroking his hairless chin. “Go put on one of those dresses that look nice on you.” He commands. _

_ You go to your room and slowly go and put one on. You open the door and walk out to them “What the hell is that!? Who the hell taught you how to dress?!” He yells at you. _

_ “B-but you s-said you liked this one daddy.” You say nervously. _

_ He grunts at you. “Well you must have gotten fatter you fucking pig. Get the fuck out of our sights.” He pushes you towards your room and points. _

_ You walk away and go into your room. _

.

_. _

_. _

_ You hear footsteps outside your room.  _ Please go away…  _ You hear your door open quietly. You curl into yourself. You feel him sit down on the bed. You try to hold as still as you can.  _ Please don’t…  _ You feel him gently pet your side and slowly start to tightly grab your shoulder. He starts to lean closer. _

_ You feel something sharp touch your spine. _

*end*

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You jolt up from your bed in a dead sweat. You feel as if the wind has been knocked out of you.  _ Shitshitshitshitshitshit. _ You scramble to get your phone.  _ Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!  _ You feel tears roll down your face as they blur your vision. Sole rubs on your back purring loudly. You click a random person on your contacts.  _ Please be Chris. _ The last dream replays in your head.

Your hands shake harder making you drop your phone.  _ Fuckingdamnitall. _ You start to cry harder as you shake harder as everything from that moment echoes in your mind. You try to focus on the sound of the ringing. You hear the connected sound. “Marceline? It’s two in the morning. Why have you woke me up from my beauty sleep?” Chris asks tired yet jokingly.

All you can choke out from your hyperventilating is, “H-help.” You feel yourself start to crumple in on yourself.

You hear him shuffle on the other side. “Hey hey hey hey, what’s going on?!” He asks, now sounding fully awake. “Hey talking to me Marceline, I can’t help if I don’t know what is happening.” He says panicked.

You get on the floor next to the phone. “B-b-b-bad dr-d-dreams.” You choke out.

You let out an ugly sob as the memory pushes to the front of your mind. “H-hey, it’s ok! You don’t have to tell me at all. I can be there like… in thirty minutes tops. Can you wait that long?!” He asks hurriedly.

All you muster is a small “mhm.” And slowly crumple lower onto the ground.

You hear him shuffle some more and then the jingle of keys. “H-hey I need to get off the phone since I can’t legally be on it. I can stay on if you want but I know how you feel about it.” He waits for your response.

You inhale a small amount of air. “N-n-no, y-you’ll get in t-trouble.” You say in between crys.

You hear him shuffle around and cuss. “Ok. But I don't want you alone for that long. Can you call one of your friends over? Doesn’t Papyrus live next to you? That's what you said a couple weeks ago right?” You hear him shut the car door.

_ I’m such a fucking bother. Whywhywhy. _ You try to focus on anything else. “Y-Yes.” You quietly say.

The memories start cycling around making your chest burn. You cry out again. “F-fuck. Ok. Just say Papyrus’s number I’ll call.” He says in a rush while starting his car. You try to quickly tell him the number. “Ok. I have to hang up so I can call him. You're gonna be ok, alright? I’ll be there soon.” You hear him hang up.

The dream flashes in your mind. You feel the pain he caused you. Your scar hurts. You grip both of your shoulders tightly.  _ Nonononono. Not now. _ You curl into the fetal position and start to cry harder. Sole pats your head and rubs his face on it while purring. You start to shake harder and cry.  _ I can’t breath. _ You grip yourself tighter.

You hear someone knock on your door. You hear the door unlock and someone quickly walk in. “MARCELINE? I GOT A CALL THAT YOU NEEDED HELP. WHERE AR-” Papyrus walks into your room and sees you on the ground. “M-MARCELINE?!” He quickly kneels and moves towards you making you jump away.

He stops and looks at you in concern. “Marceline, it’s me, Papyrus.” He says quietly. “You’re in your dorm with me and your pet cat Sole. No one is going to hurt you.” He states calmly. He slowly reaches towards you. “I’m right here. It’s gonna be ok.” He lightly pats your arm making you jump a little.

Your breathing slows slightly. You look him in the face.  _ Papyrus. _ He sees that you recognize him and holds his arms out for you to hug him. You cry even harder and launch yourself at him seeking comfort. He quickly wraps his arms around you and hugs you close. “It’s ok. Your safe Marceline.” He says while rubbing circles in your back. After a second of you clinging to him and you sobbing into his pajamas he turns to look at you. “Marceline?” You look up at him. “Can you breathe with me please?” He asks you softly.

You nod as you still hug him close. “May I also move you so my knee isn’t in your stomach?” He asks while moving his knee a little, making you jump slightly.

You think about it before nodding. He moves you so that he is holding you loosely by your knees and under your arms. He crosses his legs to better hold you. Your crying slows but your shaking grows and chest burns. You hold on tightly to the scar on your shoulder. “I’m going to start breathing now ok?” Papyrus asks.

You nod while focusing on your legs. He takes a deep breath and you shakily do so as well. He slowly lets it out and you do the same. Your brain starts to feel like static. You hear the front door open again making you jerk and try to scramble. “Marceline, it's ok. It's your brother Christopher. Just keep breathing with me ok? He won't hurt you.” Papyrus says kind of quickly while still holding on to you.

Chris walks into your room quickly. He spots the two of you and drops down to your level. He grabs your shoulders gently and looks you in the eyes. You try to focus on his calming gray eyes and focus on breathing with Papyrus. “Hey Marcy, it’s ok. Can you tell me what happened?” He asks softly while grabbing one of your hands.

Papyrus stops breathing loudly so that you can think.  _ He… _ You point to your scar and feel another tear roll down your face.  _ My eyes feel sore. _ His eyes widened with realization and lets go of one of your shoulders. “Hey Papyrus, can you sit with her for a little longer? I know some things that will help calm her down.” Chris give your hand a squeeze.

Papyrus nods and continues to breath. Chris gets up and walks away into the next room. You follow along with him the best you can.  _ Why?  _ You feel like you could cry more if your eyes didn't feel so sore.  _ This is such a mess. I didn't mean to do this. _

Your grip on your side softens and you sniffle. "P-papyrus?" You ask quietly. He looks down at you with concern, waiting for you to continue. "I… I'm s-sorry. I di-didn't mean to drag y-you into this." You slowly say as you hiccup like a small child.

_ Good job dipshit. Best apology. _ He laughs a little and pats your head. "You sound like sans. He has similar attacks like that. Although yours are a lot easier to help with." He says as he moves his arms to hug you more than hold onto you. "Would…” You hear him make a weird sound with his jaw. “May I know what caused you to have an attack?" He asks hesitantly.

You move a little so that you are sitting in his lap. He rests his head on yours.  _ Why are you so nice to me?  _ "I-i had a really bad dream. They n-normally aren't th-that bad. I guess I just h-had extra bad luck tonight." You say quietly.

You hear Chris moving around in your kitchen.  _ What is he doing? _ "Hmm, you and my brother are very similar. I won't ask anymore if you don't want to talk about it Marcy. Although if it's ok with you I would like to go back to my usual voice. Speaking this low kind of hurts." You feel his jaw move on your head as he talks.

You realize that he has been speaking softly to you this whole time. "O-oh you didn't have to do that Papyrus! You can go back to speaking normally." You say quickly.

_ Everything hurts. _ You think as you feel your throat twinge in pain.  _ What am I saying. He is hurting himself to help you, Chris just up and left his apartment. And I am worried about my sore throat. _ You see Chris slowly walk on through the door so that he can be easily seen. "Hey Vampy, you feeling better now?" He asks as he brings three mugs.

He hands you and Papyrus a mug. You laugh a little. "I guess. I mostly just feel like shit right now." You say as you take a sip of what appears to be hot cocoa.

_ Oh that's still really hot. _ You hold it close to you to get the heat from it. "Well I can understand why. Heh. You scared me half to death." He says as he pats the side of your face.

_ Why so many pats? _ "I'm sorry… I couldn't think of anything else to do." You say quietly.  _ Just had to wake up everyone today. _ "You guys can go back to your places and sleep if you want, I should be fine now." You say while trying to get up.

No one makes a move to leave and Papyrus wiggles his chin forward on the top of your head to keep you sitting.  _ Ow. _ "I DON'T THINK THAT IS THE BEST FOR ANYONE RIGHT NOW." Papyrus says, now speaking in his normal tone. “IT WOULD BE BEST FOR SOMEONE TO STAY WITH YOU TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE FINE AND SAFE AND THE OTHER MAY GO BACK TO SLEEP. I DO NOT THINK IT WOULD TAKE TWO TO WATCH YOU.” He finishes saying almost like it’s a fact.

He then takes a big swig of the hot coco. “That’s reasonable. But then it comes down to who.” Chris says to Papyrus.  _ This is really unnecessary. _ You try to get up again but feel that Papyrus is still using you as a head rest. “Marcy, who do you want to stay here with you?” Chris asks calmly.

You take a sip of your still very hot coco and furrow your brows. “I would like you both to go and get some decent rest. I’m sure you both have busy days tomorrow.” You say as you watch the steam rise from your cup.

They both look at you for a second before looking at each other. “WELL THAT WONT DO. CHRISTOPHER WHAT ARE YOU DOING TOMORROW?” Papyrus asks him, while basically ignoring what you said.

Chris thinks about it for a second. “I have to teach a kid some music kinda early, go to a job interview, and go to work later tonight… well tonight as in the pm.” He says as he downs his drink. “What about you?” He says as he fully sits and rests on your floor.

_ Do I not get a say in this? They shouldn’t be taking care of me more, they’ve done enough. _ “WELL ME AND MARCELINE NORMALLY GO TO CLASS AT THE SAME TIME PRETTY EARLY, THEN WE BOTH GET LUNCH AFTER CLASS WITH ALPHYS, WE GO HOME AND HANG OUT OR SHE GOES TO WORK AND I STUDY, AND THEN WE HANG OUT FOR A LITTLE AFTER BEFORE WE DECIDE IT'S TIME FOR ONE OF US TO HEAD HOME AND SLEEP.” Papyrus lists your guys’s typical daily routine.

_ Wow we are pretty predictable. _ “Guys you really don’t have too.” You say to them both with a mix of pleading and concern in your voice.

They both say at the same time, “We don’t have to but we want too.” And then look at eachother and laugh a little. Chris continues on. “Well it’s obvious that you're probably going to have the least messed up schedule if you watch her. Are you ok with that Papyrus? I trust her trust in you enough to let you do this.” He says in his big brother voice.

You hear Papyrus breath the word ‘nyeh’, before sitting up right. “THAT WOULD MAKE THE MOST SENSE. I PROMISE I WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN CHRISTOPHER, SHE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY SAFE FROM DASTARDLY NIGHTMARES.” He states proudly.

Chris offers his hand to you.  _ So no, I don’t get a say in this. _ You take it and he pulls you up into a hug. “I want you to call me if you think even for a moment you should. The speed limit and the cops won’t be able to stop me from going triple the speed limit to get here.” He whispers. “Now I have to head home for my beauty sleep. I don’t want to be looking like you.” He says dramatically.

You poke him in the side and you both laugh. “Go home and get some sleep you idiot. Text me when you get home and please drive safely.” You say with a little more sternness at the end.

He nods to you with a sly smile and makes you raise a finger and point disapprovingly at him. He laughs and hugs you again much tighter. He then turns to, the now standing, Papyrus. “I really appreciate your help tonight man, if you ever need some help then let me know. Have a good night.” He says and shakes Paps hand. “And no funny stuff.” He says in a half joking tone.

You hit him in the arm at his rudeness. He laughs again. “Sleep well the both of you.” He says before turning and leaving.

You hear him lock and close the door. You look up at Papyrus and then realize that his Pajamas have a bunch of different pasta noodles on them.  _ Wow he really loves pasta. _ You look a little close to see that they all have puns on them.  _ Ah, a gift from Sans most likely. _ You then realize what you're wearing for sleeping, a sports bra and blue fluffy pajama pants.  _ Would it be more weird if I went to put a shirt on? _

You decide not to bring more attention to it and grab one of your pillows and two blankets off of your mountain of both. You start to set up a bed for yourself. After laying it all out you lay down in your makeshift bed and get comfy. “MARCY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Papyrus asks, sounding very confused.

You look up at him to see him in the same spot. “Letting you have the bed. It’s a lot more comfortable and I want you to sleep there if you're sleeping here.” You say as you wiggle a little more trying to get comfy.

You lay your head down and try to fall back asleep. You hear him shuffle around for a second. You open an eye to see him moving the cups onto a table.  _ How ni- _ Your thoughts get quickly interrupted as he picks you and your blankets up in one scoop. “NYEH! I WILL NOT LET YOU SLEEP ON THE UNCOMFORTABLE FLOOR. THE BED IS BIG ENOUGH FOR US BOTH. I MAY BE TALL BUT I AM NOT VERY WIDE.” He says as he lays you on the bed.

He pats the blankets and Sole jumps up and walks over to lay next to you. “P-papyrus really it’s fine, I don’t mind the floor.” You say in a hurry.

He also sits on the bed and gets under a different set of blankets. “IF YOU WOULD PREFER I CAN SLEEP ON THE FLOOR, BUT I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO SLEEP DOWN THERE.” He says in a very set tone.

You don’t say anything for a bit. You both hold very still.  _ It really isn’t that big of a deal. I know he wouldn’t try anything. _ You think a little more.  _ He might be a blanket hog though. _ You try not to laugh at your last thought. “No it’s ok Papyrus, let’s just get some sleep.” You say as you start to grow tired. You turn onto your side and face the wall. “Good night Papyrus. Thank you for staying here to make sure I'm ok.” You look over your shoulder to see him looking just as tired as you.

He straightens out his blankets and takes the pillow from the ground. “SLEEP SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD PLAN. GOOD NIGHT TO YOU AS WELL MARCELINE.” He says with a yawn.

You turn back and face the wall.  _ I can’t remember the last time I had someone sleep in the same bed as me. _ As you drift farther into sleep and your mind wanders you try to think of how to thank the both of them.  _ Maybe I'll take Papyrus out to lunch and buy some groceries and visit Chris. Not a totally bad plan. _ You think to yourself as you drift off into sleep.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_You feel the sharp object in his hand make small cuts here and there on your side and back. “Hold still. You're getting your marks. You weren’t god awful so you won’t get any that will stay very long.” He says as he leans his weight on your shoulder._ What did I even do that was wrong? _You try to recall anything._ _He slowly does one more before getting up. “If I see a spot of blood on that bed then don’t expect me to be so nice next time,” He says as he leaves._

_ You sit up and wipe your tears away.  _ Well at least Ms. Shelly wont ask about them tomorrow. She needs to focus more on the others. Not everyone is as good in the first grade like she says I am. _ You smile at that thought. You walk over to your backpack and grab the band aids that she got you. You grab a paper and start to wipe away any blood and start to put the band aids on. _

_ You accidentally poke one making you jump and the tears roll down.  _ I hate crying. I just want to go back to be-

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You wake up groggily. As your senses slowly come to back, you feel fresh tears on your face.  _ Oh not again… _ You think mildly upset. You turn over and throw your blanket over onto your shoulders. As you do you feel something move on your waist.  _ What?  _ You open your eyes and see Papyrus asleep.  _ Oh. He must be a cuddle bug in his sleep. _ You smile at his cuteness and then realize your moving disrupted his peaceful sleep. He grumbles something unintelligible and pulls you closer to his chest.

You feel your face go completely red.  _ This is really close. _ You feel the mild panic set in.  _ I don’t know if he will wake up. I don’t know what time it is. I don’t know what to do. Fuck this night. _ You breathe a couple times to calm yourself down. You slowly put your arms in between the two of you. You push slightly to see what he does. He grumbles again and lets you go.  _ Oh thank god. I thought I was going to be stuck. _

You slowly get out of bed from the bottom. You walk over to your phone, that was left on the floor, and grab it. You turn it on and check the time.  _ 6:02. Wonderful… I totally wanted to get up this early. _ You think to yourself bitterly. You quietly grab some better pajamas and a towel and go to the bathroom.  _ I’ve sweat so much I can smell it when I plug my nose. _ You turn and lock the door.

_ Hmm. What song sounds good? _ You shrug and press shuffle and hear the beginning to kiss with a fist start to play.  _ Ironic. _ You pause it and turn the shower on and then turn it way up. You sing along to it as you strip all of your clothes off. “ _ You hit me once. I hit you back. You gave a kick. I gave a slap. You smashed a plate over my head. Then I set fire to our bed.” _ You sing out loudly, throat stinging slightly here and there.

You slowly do your usual routine. You wash your face and wash it off before continuing singing. “ _ My black eye casts no shadow. Your red eye sees nothing. Your slaps don't stick. Your kicks don't hit. So we remain the same. Love sticks. Sweat drips. Break the lock if it don't fit. A kick to the teeth is good for some. A kiss with a fist is better than none.” _ You push yourself to sing louder.

You never understood why it felt good to belt out a song but it always helped you feel better, even if you were god awful it still helped. You sang loudly as the hot water helped with your sore muscles.  _ Man this water feels great. _ After a couple of songs and standing in the heat of the water, you decide to get out and dry off. As you do another song plays and it makes you laugh a little.  _ Oh of course… Count on me. _

  
  


\------------------------------------------------------------paps.pov-------------------------------------------------------

Your alarm starts to go off making you wake up. You quickly turn it off and open your eyes.  _ WHERE IS MARC- _ You hear her singing loudly.  _ SHE IS SINGING! HOW WONDERFUL! _ You quickly walk into her living room only to see nothing. You hear her shower running and then put two and two together.  _ SHE SINGS IN THE SHOWER TOO!  _ You think gleefully.  _ I GUESS I SHALL TAKE THE ROLE FOR MAKING BREAKFAST FOR BOTH OF US TODAY. _ You think as you head to the kitchen. You only take a couple steps before you hear the shower turn off and her laugh.

You then hear music playing louder.  _ OH! IDEA!  _ You grab your phone quickly, hit record and place it camera down on a table near the door to the bathroom.  _ NOW I MAY HAVE HER SINGING PLAYED AT ANYTIME! FREE RELAXATION. _ You think triumphantly. “ _ If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea, I'll sail the world to find you. _ ” She sings out even louder than before. “ _ If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see, I'll be the light to guide you.” _ Her voice seems to echo in your skull.

You go back to the kitchen and grab a few eggs.  _ ONLY REAL BREAKFAST FOOD THAT SHE HAS AVAILABLE. HMM. _ Your shrug and start cooking. “ _ Find out what we're made of, when we are called to help our friends in need,”  _ She drags out the last note a little before continuing. “ _ You can count on me like one two three, I'll be there. And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two, You'll be there. 'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah.”  _ She sings before taking a breath that even you heard.

_ SHE MUST STILL BE VERY WORN OUT. “Whoa, whoa”  _ She begins to continue on as you wash two plates in the sink _. “Oh, oh... Yeah, yeah.” _ You finish up the scrambled eggs that you made and put them on the plates and very quietly look for forks.

  
  


You sit down at her table with a relaxed smile.  _ “If you tossin' and you're turnin' and you just can't fall asleep. I'll sing a song, beside you. And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me.” _ She opens the door and walks out still singing _ “Everyday I will, remind yo- _ yoou were listening the whole time weren’t you..?” She asks when she notices you. 

You smile at her and gesture for her to sit. “WELL I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS NICE TO WAKE UP AND COOK TOO! I STILL STAND BY MY OPINION OF YOUR SINGING.” You say cheerily as she walks over and sits down. “BUT IF YOU WOULD EXCUSE ME FOR A MOMENT, I NEED TO GRAB SOMETHING.” You say as you go to grab your phone and stop recording.

You walk back to see her eating the eggs. “OH! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE SMALL GLIMPSE INTO MY COOKING SKILLS?!” You ask excitedly.

\--------------------------------------------------------Marceline.pov-----------------------------------------------------

He gets up and walks away to grab whatever he needs. You grab the salt and pepper and put them on your eggs. You take a bite into them and pause.  _ Are… are eggs meant to taste like this? It's somehow burnt and a little gooey… and crunchy. And why do I taste tomatoes? I don’t have any. _ You get pulled out of your thoughts as Papyrus comes back. “OH! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE SMALL GLIMPSE INTO MY COOKING SKILLS?!” He asks you excitedly.

_ Oh no… _ “O-oh um it’s really good Papyrus!” You hesitantly take another bite. “I normally don’t eat breakfast but I might eat a couple bites of this! It’s too good not to!” You try to say as convincingly as you can.

His face seems to brighten. “WELL THANK YOU! I’VE NEVER MADE EGGS BEFORE BUT I SEEMED TO HAVE NAILED IT ALREADY!” He says happily. “BUT THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” He says with a pose before sitting down and eating the eggs as well.

He mumbles something as he eats. You try to eat as little as you can and then tell him you're going to go get dressed. “WELL I SHOULD PROBABLY DO THE SAME!” He says as he gets up, grabs the dishes, and starts to wash them. “MAY I RETURN AFTER I AM DONE GETTING READY?” He asks right before you close your door.

You smile at his politeness. “Of course you can Papyrus. Just don’t lock the front door this time so it’s easier to get in.” You say as you hear him make his way to the door.

You close your door and walk over to your wardrobe.  _ It’s been getting warmer recently, maybe I should start wearing my sweaters less. _ You think it over for a bit.  _ Less yes, but not today. _ You grab some high waisted jeans, an oversized red hoodie, and a black sleeveless turtleneck top.  _ I want to look nice and go into town today. Maybe Paps will go with me? _ You quickly change and grab some socks and converse. You walk out into the living room and set them on the couch.

You head to the bathroom and hide the bags under your eyes with some concealer.  _ A little mascara too so I look decent. _ You think to yourself.  _ God knows I look like the product of a zombie and a hair balls toxic relationship. _ You then start to comb through your hair with your hands. You do a couple other small things when you hear the door open again. You walk out to see Papyrus staring at your shoes and sock on the couch.

You laugh as his face looks completely blank. “WHY ARE YOUR SHOES ON THE COUCH? THAT IS COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE OF WHERE THEY GO!” He says, sounding mildly disterbed. He mumbles something else about hygiene and then looks at you. “WELL I HOPE THAT YOU GOT A BETTER NIGHT OF SLEEP! WE STILL HAVE AN HOUR OR SO BEFORE WE REALLY NEED TO LEAVE. SO NOW IS THE TIME FOR A THIRD TRY AT SOME SLEEP.” He says half joking.

Over the past couple weeks you’ve found out that he has weird humor. He hates puns, doesn’t get most sarcasm, is ok with some dad jokes, but likes to use sarcasm, and makes a pun on purpose or accident every now and then regrets it when realized. You also have a suspicion that he is dyslexic. You smile at him lazily. “I might take you up on that offer, still pretty tired.” You say as you make your way to the couch.

You plop down and he joins you as you do. You glance at his outfit as you put shoes on. Light grey button up shirt, jeans, and nice black shoes.  _ You sir, wear that kind of match-up a lot. _ You think as you finish tying your shoes. You sit back up and lean on the back of your couch.

Sole takes this as his chance to jump on your lap and get lots of pets. “WHY IS THAT? DID YOU NOT SLEEP WELL? ER UH… THE SECOND TIME I MEAN.” He asks with concern.

You laugh a little. “No, I had a continuation from the dream before. I was lucky it ended up being a mild one.” You say as you run your fingers through your hair and sigh. “Might just have to ask my professor to excuse me from taking a nap.” You say with a smile trying to think how that would go over.

_ Maria wouldn’t care as much as Mr. McConald or Mr. Ryans would. McConald would probably throw a fit but Ryans would do some kind of prank and I don’t think I would like that. _ “MARCELINE?” Papyrus asks in a concerned and nervous tone. You look over at him and watch as he fidgets a little with his hands. “I WAS WONDERING IF IT WOULD BE OK IF I ASKED WHAT MADE YOU HAVE AN ATTACK LIKE THAT LAST NIGHT? SANS NEVER TELLS ME WHAT HIS NIGHTMARES ARE ABOUT, BUT I HOPE YOU WILL SO THAT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP.” He says while looking at Sole.

_ Sans must be a turd about it if Papyrus feels this nervous about talking about it. _ You consider it for a second.  _ He does deserve a little explanation… and… he is a good guy, he wouldn’t do anything bad with it.  _ “..My dreams last night were about my parents. Mostly my Dad.” You say plainly. You watch as his eyes widen and he turns towards you to better listen. “My Dad… He really wasn’t a good guy. He did a lot of bad things…” You take a small shuddery breath. “He would hit me a lot, or cut me, or burn me. He tried other things a multitude of times but normally stuck with the first three. I can’t remember a day in that house when he didn’t at least slap me around a little.” You look up to see Papyrus intently listing but trying to hide his horror. “You can look horrified Papyrus, it’s a really wrong thing to do to people.” You say with a tight smile and a sigh.

He thinks for a second. “WHY DID HE DO ALL OF THAT TO YOU? I CAN’T THINK OF YOU DOING ANYTHING TO DESERVE THAT! AND WHAT ABOUT YOUR MOM! DIDN’T SHE TRY TO STOP HIM?” He asks quickly.

Your smile turns bitter. “Well she wasn’t much better… she would verbally abuse me and they would yell at each other at times, so they never listened on the rare occasions the other told them to stop. And no I never knew why they did it. My Mom didn’t even tell me as she was passing.” You say the last part quietly.

His eyes grow wider. “O-OH I WAS UNAWARE THAT YOUR PARENTS HAD PASTED. EVEN IF THEY WEREN’T THE GREATEST I’M SORRY FOR YOUR LOSSES.” He says quickly.

You shake your head. “N-no Papyrus only my mom died. My Dad is… well he is alive, but I haven’t seen him in awhile, he is in jail. Every now and then when he has a chance at parole they like to see how he interacts with me, so we have to talk. Not that that's worked out for him. But the other people there are nice.” You say while focusing on Soles purring as you pet him.

Papyrus seems to think. “WHY IS YOUR DAD IN JAIL?” He asks confused,

_ Knew that was coming. _ “Well child abuse, animal abuse, assalt, a-and uh… well he...” You take a small breath. “He killed my Mom…” You say with a small voice. His face quickly turns to shock. “Before you ask about it, i would prefer to not talk about that right now. Maybe another time but I really don’t want another attack right now.” You say in a rush.

His sockets widen more as he nods a little. “O-OK MARCELINE, I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY.” He says before thinking for a moment. “YOUR FATHER NEVER MAJORLY HURT YOU RIGHT?” He asks, filled with concern.

_ Oh boy…  _ You check your phone really quick.  _ Should leave in thirty minutes or so. _ You breathe a forced laugh. “He did… I uh still have scars from some of them. Like one of the small ones,” You lift your chin and point to the small white line on your chin. He leans in and looks closely. “He smashed a plate after throwing it at me and a piece flew near me and cut my chin.” You force another laugh to try and keep his face from going into even worse worry. “Hell that's not even the worse one.” You say of handedly.

He looks shocked for a second before quickly recovering. “WHAT IS THE WORST SCAR THAT HE GAVE YOU?” He asks, weirdly calm.

Your hands instinctively reach for it. You shudder. “W-well uh, I have one that is pretty gnarly, but I don’t think you’ll want to see it. A-anyway you wanted to know about my dream right?” You try to quickly change the subject.

Papyrus is quiet for a moment before speaking. “YES I DID WANT TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT YOUR DREAM WAS ABOUT.” He says as he also starts to also pet Sole.

_ Thank you for not asking… _ “So my dad would every now and then come into my room at night to give me my “marks”, as he liked to put it. In reality he was taking a knife and cutting me because he thought of something small I did that he decided needed punishment without explanation.” You look back at his face to see him intently listening. “But anyway, my dream was one of the times he did that. Heh… probably part of the reason I hate back massages. T-thats where he would normally cut, to make sure no one could see them as they healed.” You say looking down again.

Papyrus seems to think it over for a moment. “WELL I AM SORRY THAT HE DID THAT TO YOU MARCELINE. IF YOU EVER WISH TO TALK ABOUT AGAIN THEN I AM HERE FOR YOU. BUT, I WILL SAY THIS, THE NEXT TIME THEY MAKE YOU GO SEE HIM I WILL BE GOING WITH YOU. AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MAKE IT KNOWN THAT I DON’T LIKE YOUR FATHER.” He says seriously.  _ You are certainly someone else Papy _ . You think as he starts to stand up. “NOW, LET US HEAD TO CLASS.” He says as he heads for your door.

You both say goodbye to Sole and leave. You walk in silence for a small while, both enjoying the sights of the late spring blooms. “WHAT WAS YOUR MOTHER LIKE?” Papyrus asks suddenly, halfway through your guys’s walk to class.

You think for a moment beforing thinking of a wonderful idea. “I’ll make you a deal Papyrus. If you let me take you to town for dinner and we can both ask each other questions about each other or our species, sound like a fair deal?” You ask with a sly smile and attempt at raising your eyebrow.

_ Haha! Perfect invite to hang out.  _ He thinks about it for a moment before his face starts to turn orange and grow nervous.  _ Huh?  _ “M-MARCELINE ARE YOU ASKING ME OUT ON A D-DATE?” He asks hurriedly. 


	10. Green is your color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marceline gets a soul talk and dances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading my poor attempt at writing!! I can't believe that almost 800 of you have clicked on it! I'm honestly so glad that people even like it! I know I don't normally put chapter notes in and this is going on longer then it probably should, but I just wanted to sincerely say thank you! I hope you are all doing well during everything that is happening in the world. Love you all little ducklings!

“Oh! No! I didn’t mean it like that!” You feel panic rise as quickly as you throw your hands up in defense. “I just thought it would be nice to go dinner as friends and talk instead of always hanging out in one of our dorms.” You say quickly.

You feel your face slowly start to turn red, from being both embarrassed and easily flustered.  _ Jesus christ this is not how I thought today was going to go. _ “OH! WELL THEN YES OF COURSE! THAT SOUNDS LIKE A WONDERFUL IDEA. M-MY APOLOGIES FOR ASSUMING!” He says while he rubs the back of his neck. He thinks for a moment before speaking. “DID YOU HAVE ANY PLACE IN MIND FOR DINNER?” He asks curiously.

You also think for a bit as you watch some birds fly overhead.  _ We could go to the Mexican place, or the diner… nah, too many racist. I want him to be relaxed and have fun. _ You think a little longer before it clicks. “Oh! I know this really nice place nearby! It’s called the Dine and Jive. They have live music there and sometimes people will get up and dance! My psychology teacher’s husband owns it.” You tell him as you look to see that you guys are almost to the buildings.

He visibly brightens and smiles at you. “OH THAT SOUNDS WONDERFUL! I LOVE DANCING! DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DANCE MARCY?” He is nearly bounding with excitement.

You weakly smile and sigh. “Yeah I know how to dance a little, what about you?” You ask him as you both stop before your buildings.

His smile grows and he strikes one of his poses. “WELL I OF COURSE KNOW HOW TO DANCE! SURPRISINGLY SANS TAUGHT ME WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER AND HE WASN’T SO LAZY.” He says the last part with a small eye roll.

You both say your goodbyes and head to class. In your short span of knowing Paps so far you’ve both quickly grown to know each other like you’ve been friends for years, even if you're learning all kinds of new things about one another.  _ He is nice to be around. Such a good guy. _ You walk into your class and go over to Maria. “Hellooo.” You call out to her.

She looks up at you and smiles. “My my, someone looks nice today. Trying to finally catch a man.” She says as she throws a playful wink at you.

Your smile fades to blushing and a heavier sigh. “Maria nooo. Just going to your man’s restaurant with a friend later today. No man catching.” You tell her as you sit on her desk. “I don’t want a boyfriend anyway. I’ve learned that my attempts at dating are all doomed.” You say with a dramatic swoon.

She gets up from her desk and grabs your hand. “Well, i’ll have to go there tonight too just to bug you more!” She wickedly smiles at you as she pulls you up and then changes the channel on the radio a couple times. “And maybe it’s because you weren’t ready then. You may not want to get hurt but it’s part of the game. You have to get hurt a little to know what's right for you.” She grabs your other hand and listens a little for a moment.

A Batcha song comes on and her smile grows. “I’m assuming that he is playing Batcha tonight? How ironic… One of the few useful things my mom taught me.” You say as you both slowly start to dance.

She laughs a little. “No, but I thought you needed a refresher. And i’m glad she taught you a couple types of dance. I would hate to teach you how to dance myself.” She dramatically says as she suddenly dips you, making you gasp.

You laugh a little. “Well i’m sure I would have been an even worse dance partner then.” You spin her around and continue on. “I doubt you even know all the types of dance I do.” You say challengingly.

_ Wonder if she still remembers them all. _ She smiles back and you both dance on your own for a moment. “Ah well bomboncita I know how to dance Batcha as well as you, but I believe I am much better at Waltz.” She turns off the radio and takes lead into the sudden change of dance. You fumble for a moment before it comes back to you. “See, you can’t even keep up.” She says jokingly.

You both laugh. “Do you remember the one I taught you?” You ask before you slip from her grasp.

She laughs. “I remember some of the electro swings, yes! But I might need a reminder.” She says as she continues to laugh.

You smile at the memories of you and Chris learning it together and of you teaching her.  _ Always a fun one. _ You check the time real quick just in case.  _ Eh, I got five minutes. _ You hold your hands out as you start to twist and kick your legs about, making small turns. You hop and turn around to see her slowly but surely mimicking your dancing with a huge grin. “Ah so you do remember!” You proudly say.

After a little longer you both decide to stop and get ready for class. You walk over to your usual seat and get out your computer for notes. As you sit down you ask, “So what kind of music is he having played tonight?” You watch as she sits down tiredly and makes herself a coffee.

“Oh! I believe he said something about picking something modern. But I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She says as a few students come walking in.

You think about it for a moment. “Maria I don’t think I know either of those. Maybe we could come back on a different day…” You wonder out loud as she sips on coffee.

She laughs a little. “Bomboncita you don’t need to know dance to specific music in certain ways to dance and have fun! ¡Te preocupas demasiado!” She yells over at you before taking a sip of coffee.

You laugh a little as you seem more people come in.  _ I really wish I paid attention in spanish class. _ You mentally sigh to yourself as you turn your computer on. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bell rings and everyone heads out. You wave goodbye to Maria as you do and make your way to go find Paps and get some food.  _ I wonder if I could ask him some questions at lunch.  _ You ponder as you enter the other building. Over the past couple weeks you both had grown very close very quick. (well quick for you) You would both watch Tv or help the other study. You have shown him your recipes and quickly found out that he uh… needs work on his cooking skills for sure. But in reality you only really knew surface level stuff about him and he didn’t know a whole lot till today about you.

_ Maybe it's for the better.  _ You think bitterly before quickly pushing the thought away.  _ No we are friends and it’s ok to talk to people about yourself. ...Right? _ You grab some food that looks good and pay and head off looking for Papyrus.  _ Does he even really care though? Was he just being friendly and then got sucked into a friendship he didn’t want with me? I wouldn’t blame him for not wanting to be frie- _ Your train of thought gets interrupted by Alphys and Papyrus waving over at you. You quickly head over to them. “So, the usual spot today I assume?” You ask as you smile at the both of them.

They both nod at you and you all head towards your new spot to eat with friends. “S-so M-marceline, I was wondering i-if we cou-could continue our co-conversation fr-from yesterday.” She says while fidgeting for a moment.

Alphys is a very nervous and shy person and you understood that it took awhile for her to get the courage to ask things sometimes, so you had a hard time telling her no. “I don’t mind at all! Just give me a quick refresher on where we left off.” You tell her as you watch as the tree’s sway in the wind.

You get to the hollowed out stump and grab a new blanket that you bought a couple days ago that could fit all of you and some others if needed. Papyrus helps you spread it out nearby one of the trees and you all take a seat on it. “O-oh we were t-talking about how some h-hu-humans have different colors and d-different styles of hair and s-similar things.” She takes a big bite out of her ramen, _ that she seems to live on. _

You smile as you take a sip of your juice.  _ Oh grape today, nice. _ “Oh yeah, race and genetics. Weren’t we talking about eye and hair colors?” You ask her as you start to peel your orange. She nods and you continue. “So from what I can remember, to be able to get some hair colors you have to have a direct relative that has it for your chances to be high. Like if my mom and dad had black hair then I would have most likely had black hair.” You take a piece from your orange and quickly eat it. “But let's say my grandma had blonde hair, then I would have a small chance at having blonde hair. But in my real case I had a dad with dark brown hair and a mom with very light brown hair and got this color, some call it ash brown.” You refer to your hair.

She nods and quickly takes down notes. “S-so does your a-also have different t-texture b-because of your p-parents?” She asks you while still writing. You nod with a smile. “So h-human genetics and monster g-genetics aren’t so different.” She says in a semi confident tone.

You tilt your head slightly. “What are monster genetics like?” You ask as you continue to eat your orange and watch as she smiles nervously and confidently at the same time.

She takes a quick sip of her ramen and then turns to you a little more. “So monster g-genetics do count o-o-on the parents, but th-there isn’t as m-much left to r-random chance as h-human genetics. With monsters th-the better g-genetics come out if the m-monsters h-have a strong bond. A-and the l-looks depend on what th-the parents look l-like and h-how th-the uh… th-the m-m-making o-of the m-monster goes.” She finishes all flustered.

You process it a little before something hits you. “What do you mean by bond? Like they both like each other or are in a good relationship?” You furrow your brow in confusion.

_ I know some people have bad relationships and still have kids but would you if you knew the kid would end up weak? _ You look at her as she seems to have decided to stare a hole into the blanket while blushing madly. Your confusion grows as you see Papyrus has turned around and his skull was now orange.

“W-wait did I say something wrong? I’m confused…” You start to feel the awkwardness that you made grow.

Papyrus shifts slightly. “W-WELL MONSTERS THINK OF BONDING AS A VERY PERSONAL THING. IT HAPPENS DIFFERENTLY FOR MOST BUT THE MAIN PART FOR ALL OF THEM IS A LINKING OF THE SOULS. IT IS SEEN AS RUDE OR INAPPROPRIATE TO TALK ABOUT IT IN MOST CASES.” Papyrus tells you in an awkward but nice way.

You feel your face redden out of embarrassment. “O-oh I am so sorry! I didn’t even know that souls could do that, Sorry!” You quickly ramble an apology and stuff your mouth with the rest of the orange.

_ So did I just get a monster sex talk or is it more like a serious relationship? _ You wonder as you feel your ears burn from embarrassment.  _ I don’t really want to know if that was one or the other to be honest. _ You all sit in an awkward silence for a bit and eat your respective lunches. “D-do h-humans not know h-how to s-soul b-bond?” Alphys asks you hesitantly while also still avoiding eye contact.

You look over at her. “To be honest some humans don’t even believe in souls or think of them as something different then other humans do. So I'm not sure that they have even heard of it.” You say off handedly.

Alphys’s eyes widen. “W-WHAT! H-how do th-they forget something like th-that?! I’m g-guessing th-that none of you know what th-they really a-are, let alone even s-s-seen your o-own s-souls?” She asks semi baffled and annoyed.

_ What have I gotten myself into. _ “Well n-no. I didn’t even know you could see your own soul.” You say quietly. “What are souls really?” You ask her, hoping to keep her from getting more upset.

She thinks for a moment before looking you in the eyes. “Y-your soul is basically the c-colmbination of your entire being. S-so your soul is in the shape of this.” She makes a heart shape with her hands. “And monster s-souls are like that, but upside d-down. H-human souls all have a t-trait color. Most human souls are i-either a faded color or very b-bright, that depends on health and how s-strongly they connect with that t-trait. Monster souls a-are all white, but have an i-iridescent in their trait color. One difference between the t-two besides looks is th-that h-humans have d-determination and monsters d-don’t. T-to monsters it’s deadly b-because our bodies are m-made up of o-our souls and it would e-end very b-badly. H-humans on the other h-hand can very r-rarely have that as a trait, the trait color being red. Th-their body's a-are stronger in a sense.” She says to you as if reading out of a book.

Your eyes widen at the new knowledge. “Oh that's so cool! What other colors are there?” You ask excitedly.

_ I wonder what theirs is. Or is that another personal thing? _ She smiles at your interest in it. “W-well there is red which is d-determination, o-orange which is bravery, y-yellow is justice, green is k-kindness, cyan i-is patients, blue w-which is integrity, a-and purple is perseverance.” As she lists them off you try to guess.

_ Papyrus is integrity, he always does what is right, Alphys would be orange probably, she was the first to go to college from the race of monsters. I think Chris would be red or purple, he always finds a way to fight through. Gram gram is definitely cyan. Most patient women I know.  _ You think about it a little longer. “How do you know what color your soul is? Didn’t you say something about seeing them?” You ask semi confused.

She smiles again knowingly. “W-well it is a i-incredibly r-rare type of s-skill that monsters w-with high m-magic can use. Th-they call it s-soul sight, it lets th-them see th-the Lv, Hp, and s-soul trait. There is also a scanner that I’ve b-been working on th-that would w-work the same.” She says, reminding you as a living google.

You smile. “That’s so cool! So humans and monsters have Lv and HP like in video games?” You ask, cocking your head slightly.

She nods but then thinks about it for a moment. “W-well sort of. Th-the health points or Hp are n-normally at twenty for those who h-h-have Lv at one, which is very much p-preferred on both sides. Lv s-stands for Level of V-violence. You gain more by h-harming or k-killing someone, which a-also increases y-your Hp.” She fumbles the cup in her hands slightly as she talks about Lv. “N-normally those with h-high Lv a-aren’t mentally st-stable.” She quietly mumbles into her ramen cup.

  
  


_ I wonder if he- … no he definitely has high Lv. _ “I-Is it rude to ask what someone's trait is?” You ask them both hesitantly.

You were all now sitting in a semicircle that you were wishing that you had not sat in the middle of. “W-well normally to ask a-a-a stranger that m-might come off as w-weird. B-but asking a f-friend isn’t.” She tells you with a smile.

You smile back as her. “So what are your guy’s soul traits then?” You ask as you look between the two of them.

Papyrus perks up at his opportunity to talk. “AH WELL MINE IS BLUE FOR INTEGRITY! WHICH I THINK IS VERY SUITING! NYEH HEH HEH!” He says boldly.

You smile at him and then look over to Alphys. “O-oh I didn’t r-realize you th-thought of me as a fr-friend Marceline! M-my soul is on th-the faded s-side, but i-it is Orange, m-meaning Bravery. I-i don’t r-really think it f-fits.” She mumbles to herself.

You furrow your brow a little and grab one of her hands softly. Her warm scaly hands felt smooth. “Well I think you are very brave. You were the first Monster to go to a human college, you are dating Undyne, you’re not afraid to ask questions or explain things, you are very brave to share your opinion, and lastly even if you're scared doesn’t mean you're not brave. But doing something even if it scares you means you're incredibly brave.” You look her in the eyes. “Even if you don’t think you’re brave I definitely do! You're braver than me by far!” Smiling you let go of her hand and get surprised by a hug.

You jump in surprise.  _ H-huh? _ “Th-thank y-y-yoooou!” She nearly cries out. “Th-that means a lot t-to me!” She lets you go teary eyed and with a small blush.

You smile again. “Oh uh of course! I can’t have you doubting yourself!” You stand up. “Anyway, I believe that we should head back now, class should be starting soon, and I just can’t wait to go look at algae and moss again.” You say sarcastically as you dust your legs off.

They follow suit and pack up their things. You grab the blanket and place it in it’s usual spot. As the others walk over to join you at the start of the path Papyrus asks, “MARCY I WAS WONDERING IF I COULD SIT IN ON YOUR CLASS TODAY? I ONLY HAD THE ONE TODAY AND AM INTERESTED IN YOUR CLASS.” He smiles down at you as you all start to walk out.

\---------------------------------------------------------Papyrus’s pov.---------------------------------------------------

You and Alphys walk over to Marceline. “MARCY I WAS WONDERING IF I COULD SIT IN ON YOUR CLASS TODAY? I ONLY HAD THE ONE TODAY AND AM INTERESTED IN YOUR CLASS.” You ask as you smile down at her hopefully.

You all start to walk out, following the path that has been getting more and more worn every time you remember to look.  _ OH I HOPE SHE SAYS YES, I WANT TO KEEP AND EYE ON HER TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE IS OK… I FEAR SHE IS HIDING HOW SHE FEELS AND TRYING TO IGNORE WHAT IS TROUBLING HER. _ “Oh well I can ask Mr. Ryans, but I’m sure that he will say yes, he loves to meet new people.” She says chipperly. “Although I want to warn you, he really likes pranks so don’t be startled if you hear or see one.” She says with a smile.

_ HOPEFULLY SHE WILL WANT TO TALK ABOUT HER MOM LATER. SHE SEEMED LIKE THE BETTER OF THE TWO.  _ “OH THAT IS NO PROBLEM! HARMLESS PRANKS ARE ALWAYS FUNNY.” You tell her with a smile.

You all chatter about different things about souls until you have to split ways with Alphys. She thanks Marceline again for her kind words and says goodbye again.  _ IT SHOCKED ME THAT SHE WAS SO WISE. HER SOUL MUST BE THE SAME AS MINE. OR MAYBE… HMM IT'S NOT VERY COMMON FOR HUMANS, BUT MAYBE SHE HAS A GREEN SOUL? _


	11. Walk and Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nice walk to the restaurant

You both show up to your botany class early. You walk in and head straight for Ryans’s desk.  _ I have zero clue if he likes monsters or not. _ You silently worry as you walk over. Mr. Ryans and you got along, but he wasn’t close like you and Maria, you would both make jokes here and there together or make small talk, but you never knew what his stance was on monsters. There wasn’t any in this class, so you really didn’t know. “Good Morning Mr. Ryans, I have a quick question for you.” You say slightly rushed.

He continues to focus on the paper he had. Mr. Ryans was a younger man but that didn’t stop a few gray hairs poking through his brown hair and beard. He is what you overheard some of the others call a “Dilf”.  _ I get it but ew. Married and twice my age. _ You shake your head a little.  _ Focus fuckle head, ask the question. _ “Class hasn’t even started and you want me from something of me already? Damn ok, whats up?” He asks, still not looking up.

You let out a small breath of a laugh. “Well I was wondering if my friend could sit in for class today? He doesn’t want to do an auditing or anything, he was just interested.” You say quickly again.

He smiles. He looks up from his papers and smiles at you. “Well of course! Although I didn’t you even have friends!” He says jokingly with a laugh. He looks over at Papyrus and you see his eyes widen but keep his smile on his face. “My name is Mr. Ryans, and you are?” He asks politely.

_ He is acting nice, but his eyes look scared. _ You look over at Papyrus to see that he hasn’t noticed. “MY NAME IS PAPYRUS! IT IS WONDERFUL TO MEET YOU PROFESSOR RYANS!” Paps says with enthusiasm.

He holds his hand out for Ryans to talk. Mr. Ryans hesitates for a moment before shaking his hand. You thank him and take Papyrus over to your general spot.  _ I guess I'm lucky that no one ever really sits next to me. _ You sit down and grab your computer for your notes and the cheat sheet he gave the class. “So this class is the one all about plants heh obviously.” You say as you refer to all of the different plant decorations and live ones. “Normally we just sit quietly and take notes. If you need to ask me something during class, write it down on here.” You reach into your bag and grab a piece of paper and pencil for him.

You see a little bit of worry in his eyes before he says anything. “WONDERFUL PLAN MARCY! I SHALL STAY AS QUIET AS A MOUSE WHEN CLASS STARTS!” He boldly promise’s.

_ I know this is kind of a jerk way to find out if he is Dyslexic, but I want to know if I can help. _ You place the pen and paper in between the two of you. As it gets closer to the start of class you see more and more people coming and taking seats. When they start to see Papyrus there are a lot of mixed expressions. Some of them seem happy that he is here, interested, one person looked terrified, and a few that just looked pissed off. You send some glares back at them as you see Papy shrink a little in his chair.

Mr. Ryans gets up and clears his throat to get everyone’s attention. “So today we will be continuing from what we were doing yesterday. Learning all the wonderful things about soil and Ph levels!” He says in a cheery, yet sarcastic tone. You hear a couple groans from the class. “Yeah I know, I know. You all sooo excited to learn about the difference in Arizona soil and Washington soil. Very interesting.” He says jokingly.

As class moves on you start to write down notes and doodle on the paper notes you have. Without realizing you started to do a very detailed sketch of Papyrus. You realize and mentally thank yourself for using blank papers for notes. After a while the teacher tells everyone that they can work on the research papers he assigned. You then turn your full focus onto the doodle.  _ Eh I can do that later. _ As you steal glances here and there you start to realize that he is watching you doodle.  _ I’m surprised that he hasn’t even found my book or drawings. ...Then again it took him a day to realize that I left the money on the table. _ You smile slightly at that thought.

_ He was so upset.  _ You finish the drawing and slide it over to him. You grab the conversation paper and write, ‘Do you like it?’, at the top. He stares at it with wide eyes before smiling brightly. He grabs the other paper and starts writing. He erases a lot of words or letters before handing it back still smiling. ‘I DO! IT IS WONDERFUL! I LOVE IT!’ He seems very proud of his words.

You smile back. You write back to him on the paper, ‘Well I'm glad! You can keep it if you want Papyrus.’ His eyes go wide as he slowly reads it. He quickly swipes the paper and writes quickly. He gives his response a quick glance before handing it back to you. ‘RELLY?! YOU MEEN IT? I WOULD BE HONERED TO HAVE THIS WONDERFUL DRAWING!’ You smile at his misspelled words. ‘Of course, you can have the doodle I made.’ You push the paper back to him before glancing at the clock.

_ 3:22, should probably start to put my things away. Quietly. Last time everyone left early and Mr. Ryans was not happy. _ You shiver at the memory of the dirt that he threw at you. As you think a little longer about that funny memory Papyrus taps you on your shoulder, drawing you out of your thoughts. He passes you the paper again. You look at it to see that he tried to draw you as well. You smile at your very lopsided shoulders and smirk. ‘I HOPE YOU LIKE IT! I TRIED MY BEST!’ You smile warmly at him before writing down, ‘I think that it’s wonderful! I’ll keep it forever!’ As he reads it people start to pack up.

As you also start to pack up your computer and other things, you hear some people chattering. “Did you see that monster over there? I didn’t know there were skeleton monsters… so weird.” one girl whispers. “Look, there's a freak in here. Disgusting.” Some random guy says a little louder than you think was necessary. “Hey let’s go have a ‘chat’ with him.” The same guy says.

_ Like hell you will.  _ You grab the rest of your things, his bag, the papers, and then his hand to lead him away from all of the rude people. “M-MARCELINE? IS EVERYTHING OK?” Papyrus asks as you pull him away from the class and towards the doors that lead to the outside.

You hand him his bag and drawing of himself after you stop by a bench outside. You take off your bag and finish putting things in their place. You look up at him with a weak smile. “I’m sorry Papyrus, I just couldn’t be in a room with suck racist people that were thinking about messing with you. I-i just wanted to get you out of there before they got the chance.” You run your hands through your hair with a big sigh. “Are you ok? None of what they said was kind.” You put your bag back over your shoulder and look up at him.

He was smiling, but you could easily tell that he was nervous and worried by the fidgeting that he was doing with his hands. “I AM FINE, I’M USED TO HUMANS NOT TAKING A LIKING TO ME.” He says sadly. “YOU WERE ACTUALLY THE FIRST HUMAN BESIDES FRISK WHO WASN’T RUDE OR MEAN TO ME AS SOON AS I SPOKE TO YOU.” He says a little happier.

You feel your heart twinge with a little pain.  _ How could no one be nice to someone as kind as you? _ “Well why would I be rude to someone as magnificent as The Great Papyrus? What is there not to like?” You ask him rhetorically. “Just because some people don’t like you, human or not, just know that their opinion is based on nothing. They don’t know you and obviously don’t want to take the time to do so. You're a wonderful person, all your friends think so, your brother does, so what some asshole humans think doesn’t matter.” You tell him as you both start to head back to the dorms.

You look back up to him to see the stars in his eyes along with a little bit of tears. “THANK YOU MARCY! BESIDES YOUR FOUL LANGUAGE, WHAT YOU SAID WAS AMAZING. I’M SO GLAD YOU THINK I AM A WONDERFUL PERSON, I THINK YOU ARE WONDERFUL TOO!” He tells you while smiling down at you while trying not to let a tear fall. After walking for a bit he begins to talk again. “I CAN’T WAIT TO GO DANCING! I HAVEN’T HAD A TRULY WILLING DANCE PARTNER IN AWHILE! FRISK USED TO DANCE WITH ME A LOT, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN TOO FAR TO DANCE WITH.” He says excitedly.

_ I wonder who this frisk is. Their name sounds really familiar…. Maybe Paps has mentioned them before. _ “Well I can’t say that i’m the best dancer, but I am sure i’ll keep up just fine.” You say as you smile mischievously.

_ I wonder if I could dip someone as tall as him. _ You wonder as you both sit in a comfortable silence. A smile pulls at your lips as you imagine dramatically dipping him in the middle of that little shop. You bite the inside of your lip to keep from laughing or smiling to big.  _ Yes! I’m so going to try and dip him. _ You think excitedly as you both reach the entrance to the dorms.

He opens the door for you and you smile as a thanks. “I need to change into something that is easier to dance in, I won’t take long, mostly just don’t want to dance in these jeans.” You tell him as you walk towards your dorm rooms.

He makes a face that looks like he is thinking. “HMM. I THINK I WILL DO THE SAME.” He says a little quietly. “WHAT KIND OF PLACE IS THIS AGAIN? DO I NEED TO DRESS INCREDIBLY NICE OR IS IT VERY LAID BACK?” He asks as he makes a silly face and acts like he is leaning back.

You laugh a little. “I’m just going to wear shorts, a nice top, and some tennis shoes. So I'm guessing that’s pretty laid back for you?” You ask him with a small smile.

You both make it to your doors. “YES, THAT IS VERY LAID BACK IN MY BOOK.” He says mildly disgruntled. “I WILL BE READY IN AROUND TEN MINUTES. SEE YOU AGAIN IN A MOMENT.” And with that he turns around and goes into his dorm.

You go into yours as well and go to quickly change. You grab a shorter cut white t-shirt and jean shorts. You grab your black tennis shoes and slip them on. You grab your wallet and your funky bag that you’ve been using as a cute purse. You put your wallet and phone into the velvety brown handbag and go to the bathroom. You put a little more makeup on so you look more alive and energized.  _ Ready. _

You grab your phone from your bag and see that you were a couple minutes past the time that was set.  _ Ah! Damn it! _ You quickly put some dry food in Sole’s food dish and give him a kiss before quickly making your way out.  _ Wait crap keys. _ You run back to your room to grab them and then run out the door. You lock it again behind you and turn to see and egar Papyrus. He was wearing the same shirt but traded his shoes and pants for red running shoes and what looked like similar jeans just a slightly bigger. You nervously smile up at him “WELL IT SEEMS YOU ARE ALL SET! LET US GO THEN!” Papyrus says excitedly.

You sigh with relief.  _ That god he isn’t upset about me being a little late. _ You both head out and start to walk to the restaurant. “So can I ask a question now or are you going to make me wait till we get to the restaurant?” You ask him jokingly.

He huffs a laugh. “WELL I SUPPOSE YOU CAN, BUT ONLY IF I GET TO ASK SOME TOO.” He says with a smile.

You smile back. “Sounds like a deal. Do you want the first question?” You offer him as you look at the sky.

It was a very clear day, barely a cloud in the sky. “I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE FIRST QUESTION! THANK YOU!” He smiles even brighter at you. “I HAVE BEEN WONDERING, DO HUMANS TURN INTO SKELETONS WHEN THEY DIE? I READ THAT WHEN HUMANS DIE THEY TURN INTO SKELETONS AFTER A WHILE OF BEING BURIED. BUT I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY OTHER SKELETONS. WHY IS THIS?” He asks, a little concerned.

You laugh a little. “Well when humans die they will usually bury them and their skin rots away and the only thing that gets left is the bones, they don’t really come back to life and turn into skeleton monsters that I know of.” You calmly tell him. “But! If you think about it we are still technically skeletons!” You say triumphantly.

He looks at you for a moment as if he was mentally comparing the two of you. “I AM CONFUSED… WHAT DO YOU MEAN?” He asks you with his head slightly tilted to the side.

_ You remind me so much of a puppy. _ “Well humans have bones under all of our skin and organs. A lot of living things have bones to help keep a sturdy structure. So I'm like you if you add a bunch of squishiness!” You say with a dorky smile.

You both laugh a little. “I KNEW HUMANS WEREN’T SO DIFFERENT! YOU’RE JUST A EXTRA SQUISHY SKELETON!” He says excitedly. You both smile at each other. “SO WHAT IS YOUR QUESTION FOR ME H- MARCELINE?” He asks with a small mess up at the end.

_ He must call all humans “HUMAN”. He doesn’t slip up as often but he did a lot when you both were hanging out in the beginning. _ “Well I was wondering Papyrus, if you were dyslexic.” You ask him calmly. You see him flinch a little. He turns bright orange and turns away. He mumbles something under his breath. “Papyrus? What did you say?” You ask concerned.

He glances at you before looking literally anywhere else. “I SAID I’M NOT STUPID!” He says louder than his normal volume.

You both stop walking. Your eyes widen and you put your hands up to both comfort and put emphasis on what you say. “Oh! No no, Papyrus I wasn’t saying your were stupid! You are super smart!” You tell him in a rush. You think for a moment. “It’s not uncommon for humans to have dyslexia. It just means that you are so smart your brain gets confused. So if anything you're too smart!” You say with a tight smile.

You feel small tears start to build up in your eyes when he doesn’t turn towards you.  _ Did I hurt his feelings?! I didn’t mean to!! Oh god… I’m such a- _ “NYEH HEH HEH! I KNEW I WAS SMART ALL ALONG! TAKE THAT JERRY!” Papyrus poses dramatically, making you laugh a little. “I CAN’T WAIT TO TELL SANS THAT I’VE BEEN SUPER SMART THIS WHOLE TIME WITHOUT HIM EVEN KNOWING!!” He seems to be brimming with joy.

He goes to reach for his phone but stops half way. “Go for it dude, I don’t mind. He is your brother and this is a wonderful discovery for you!” You say while giving him a thumbs up.

He smiles again and grabs his phone. He clicks a couple buttons before you hear it ring a couple times. He picks up and Papyrus puts it on speaker. “BROTHER! ME AND MARCELINE HAVE MADE A HUGE DISCOVERY!” He tells him excitedly.

_ Me and this Jerry person might need to have a talk if this bugged him enough to the point of him thinking he was stupid. _ “oh? and what's that paps?” Sans asks him like it was just a normal conversation.

Papyrus laughs a little. “YOU WERE RIGHT BROTHER JERRY WAS WRONG! I’M NOT STUPID!” You hear some shuffling come from the phone during Papyrus’s dramatic pause. “I AM IN FACT SO SMART THAT MY BRAIN JUST CONFUSE THE WORDS!” He tells Sans in a very matter of fact tone.

You hear a small chuckle from the phone. “i told you papyrus! you’re the smartest person i know!” Sans says happily.

As he says that your phone buzzes. The two of them chatter for a little longer as you check your phone. ‘thanks smalls, that means a lot that you got him to believe that he really is the smartest’ You blink and type back quickly. ‘Sans?’ You hear Papyrus and Sans say their goodbyes. “OH DON’T FORGET TO SAY GOODBYE TO MARCEY!” He says in a hurry.

You laugh a little. “goodbye smalls, i’ll catch ya later.” Sans says to you.

You wave at the phone before realizing how stupid that was. “Goodbye Sans, take care.” You tell him.

Papyrus and Sans say goodbye again before you both continue your walk to the restaurant. Your phone vibrates again. You check it to see it’s another text from (probably) Sans. ‘Well I caught ya, but it seems you caught on first. ;)’  _ Yep that’s Sans. _ You quickly type back. ‘Well it's easy when you’re throwing out obvious signs that it's you’ As you send the text you look up at Papyrus and then put your phone away. “So I believe it’s your turn now Papyrus. What is your question for me?” You watch him think about it as soon as you ask.

He jokingly strokes his chin. “... WHAT WAS YOUR MOTHER LIKE?” He asks you hesitantly.

Your eyes widen a little.  _ Ah… well I wasn’t expecting that question just yet. _ You clear your throat a little before speaking. “Well her name was Debbra. She wasn’t very consistent in many ways. She would be nice to me sometimes and really nasty with me other times, she taught me to dance so she would have a partner but also discouraged anything that she didn’t think I was good at or didn’t want me to do.” You say as nicely as you can. “I was lucky that she didn’t hit me as often as my Dad. An odd slap here or there, but she was more for messing with my head… But I remember that she was really pretty.” You tell him as you look at the slightly darker light filtering through the trees.

Papyrus seems to perk up on that. “OH WELL YOU MUST TAKE AFTER HER IN LOOKS THEN NYEH HEH HEH! WHAT DID SHE LOOK LIKE?” He asks as he joins you in looking at the sunlight.

You glance at his face to see it calm a little as he looks at the sunlight.  _ To have never seen the sunlight… How awful… _ “She was around my height I think, she had long wavy mahogany hair, and light blue eyes. She loved wearing dresses too.” You try to recall as much as you can about her looks.

_ Yeah that sounds about right. _ “WELL I CAN SEE WHERE THE SIMILARITIES ARE!” He tells you.

You point to the right and you both turn that way.  _ Not too far now. _ You laugh a little. “Well thank you Papyrus. What about your parents? I don’t think you’ve mentioned them before.” You both take another right before you hear him sigh a little.

His face doesn’t look upset or incredibly happy as he speaks, but a solemn look. “WELL MY MOM DIED BEFORE I CAN REMEMBER AND MY FATHER ALSO DIED WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG. SANS SAYS HE WAS ALWAYS BUSY AT WORK, WHICH WOULD EXPLAIN WHY I DON’T REALLY REMEMBER HIM VERY WELL EITHER. BUT I DO REMEMBER SANS RAISING ME SINCE I WAS A BABY BONES! AND EVEN THOUGH HE IS VERY LAZY, I THINK HE DID A WONDERFUL JOB!” He says in a peppier tone.

He is smiling again but it seems a little more forced. “Well I think Sans did a great job too. You turned out wonderful, that is why you are The Great Papyrus!” You say as you do your own little pose.

You bend one leg and straightened the other out and made uneven jazz hands. You give him a cheesy smile, earning a couple weird looks from some people passing by.  _ Well more than you were getting already. _ “NYEH HEH HEH! I AM INDEED THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” He proclaims and does his pose. “AND YOU ARE THE MAGNIFICENT MARCELINE!” He says with an even brighter smile.

You try not to laugh a little. “Well thank you, I appreciate the new title.” You take another turn and you put your hand out to show him to stop. You point to the restaurant that has the big neon yellow sign that says ‘Dine and jive’. “There’s the place! Are you ready?” You ask him as you walk to open the door for him.

He smiles and nods. He takes a couple steps and reaches over your head to open the door for you. You stick your tongue out at him, and to your surprise he does the same. Your eyes widen and he laughs a little.  _ He has an orange tongue! That's weird. Well not weird since he’s a monster and that might be normal, but that's still surprising to me. _ You try to quickly correct yourself mentally. You both walk in and you almost instantly get captured into a hug. “You’re finally here mi bomboncita! How are you!?” Maria asks as she smothers you with a hug.

You try to hug her back but end up just patting her arm a couple times. “I’m doing fine Maria, how are you doing?” You ask her back.

She lets go of you and looks at Papyrus. She smiles warmly at him. “Dios mío, es un esqueleto. Uno alto en eso. Who is your friend here?” She asks you as she seems to be studying him.

Papyrus perks up slightly. “MY NAME IS PAPYRUS! WHAT IS YOURS MA’AM?” He asks her with a joyous smile on his face.

Maria seems to brighten a little. “My name is Maria, it’s very nice to meet you Papyrus.” She turns to you.

John walks over and puts his hand around Maria’s waist. She smiles and leans into him. “Hey Marcy, you know the drill, just go find a table and i’ll get to you and your bud in a moment.” He gives Maria a peck on the forehead and then walks back towards the bar.

You smile at her and then lean towards Papyrus. “So where do you want to sit?” You ask him as you start to look at all the available seats. 

You look up at him to see him doing the same.

\----------------------------------------------------------Paps.pov.-----------------------------------------------------

You watch as the older human named ‘John’ walks over to the bar.  _ I’VE NEVER MET A HUMAN THE REMINDED ME OF GARRISON BEFORE! ALTHOUGH HUMAN JOHNS WIFE IS NOT LIKE GARRISON'S WIFE WAS LIKE. _ You look closer and notice that she had a similar body to Alphys but was darker skinned and haired then some of the people in the room and that her hair was very long.  _ WHAT A BEAUTIFUL LOOKING HUMAN! _ You think as Marceline leans in a little. “So where do you want to sit?” She asks you as she looks around.

You look around to see what tables are open.  _ I DON’T REALLY WANT TO SIT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TABLES… OH! MAYBE A WINDOW SEAT IS OPEN! _ You look at the seats by the windows to find that a couple booths are open. You lean down a little and point at one of them. “HOW ABOUT ONE OF THOSE BOOTHS OVER THERE?” You ask Marcy as you watch her turn her head towards you.

She follows your gaze and nods with a small smile in response. You both walk over there to take your seats. You feel the gaze of a couple people in the restaurant. Your shoulders lower for a moment before you straighten them out.  _ BAH! I WON’T LET IT BOTHER ME! I’M GOING TO HAVE A GRAND TIME TONIGHT!  _ You think to yourself, making your smile a little brighter. You both take your seats. “SO WHEN DOES THE MUSIC AND DANCING START?” You ask Marceline as you both get situated.

She grabs her phone from her pocket and checks it. “Well it shouldn’t be too long. It’s 5:12 and that all normally starts at 5:30. So we have plenty of time.” She tells you calmly.

You look at the small stage that is only a couple of yards away from your booth.  _ HMM I WONDER WHAT MUSIC THEY WILL BE PLAYING. _ As you're about to ask Marceline the woman from before shows up again holding menus.  _ MARIA WAS HER NAME RIGHT? _ “Hello mis queridas, I hope you’ve both had a wonderful day, I'll be back in a moment to get your orders. But in the meantime can I get you anything to drink or something to snack on?” She asks you both in a sweet voice and matching smile.

You quickly look through the menu for drinks before just settling on some water. “I WOULD LIKE A WATER PLEASE MS. MARIA.” You say to him as you put the menu down.

She nods and smiles a little brighter at you. She then turns to Marceline. “Can I get a virgin margarita and water too please? Oh, and if you guys have any could we get some jalapeno poppers?” Marceline asks her without even looking through the menu.

Maria nods again before walking off and yelling more of the spanish words.  _ WHAT IS A MARGARITA AND WHY DOES MARCY WANT A VIRGIN ONE? _ You think as you watch her look out the window at the sunset. “HEY MARCY? WHAT IS A VIRGIN MARGARITA?” You ask her with concern.

She blinks and looks back at you. “Oh its a sour drink that you can get in many different ways. To get a virgin one means with no alcohol in it.” She explains quickly, picking up on your concern quickly.

_ OH THAT MAKES A LITTLE SENSE! _


	12. Dance dance revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dancing and learning about each other!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (If you want to see what kind of dancing they are doing then look at these videos, I used them as a reference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS6EgAkv2Ek, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWOL5Z-abOA&list=PLaoTxAiuq6AJNvIDIrqEZ3py42vHIuFQ0), and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26-1t15R_MU

Maria comes back with the drinks and you see Papyrus watching yours. You smile as you see that she put it in one of your favorite styles of cups.  _ Yessss she got me the cactus glass! _ You take a small sip from it and lick the salt off from your lips.  _ Yummy! _ She then quickly walks back to the kitchen before either of you could thank her. “Do you want to try a sip Papyrus?” You ask as you push it towards him a little.

His eyes brighten a little as he picks it up. He takes a small sip and licks the salt off of his mouth like you did. His eye socket twitches a little. “THAT IS A LITTLE SOUR FOR MY TASTES, BUT I CAN SEE WHY YOU LIKE IT, IT IS PRETTY GOOD.” He tells you as he places it back in front of you.

You laugh a little as you remember him watching you eat half of a lemon that he had cut.  _ Hehehe, he got so confused. _ You think to yourself before getting interrupted by Maria coming back with the jalapeno poppers. “Do you both need a little longer to look at the menu?” She asks while mostly looking at papyrus.

_ I don’t think he has even had the chance to look at it. _ “Could we have a little more time please Maria?” You ask as you watch a little sweat forming on Papyrus’s brow as he quickly tries to read what’s on the menu. Before she turns to leave you tap her arm. “Actually I was wondering if you could help Papyrus choose, he is a bit picky.” You tell her while sending a wink towards him.

He visibly relaxes. “Oh of course! Any excuse to not wait on unpleasant people.” She says as she presses on Papyrus’s shoulder to have him move over.

He moves over and she sits down and starts to explain to him the different things on the menu. You smile as you watch them point at things together and talk about the different dishes. You start to space off and sip on your drink.

_ ‘Hey Vampy do you know these kids?’ Chris asked while holding up his phone to show you a picture of the kids that have been picking on you lately. You take another bite of your lunch. _

_ ‘No…’ You tell him, hoping that he doesn’t notice that you're lying.  _

_ ‘Mhm, and I bet they aren’t what took your money yesterday?’ You look away ashamed and focus on the kids running around and playing.  _ Why is it so easy for him to tell when I'm lying? You _ hear him sigh. ‘They are both girls, you know I don’t get super violent with girls unless I absolutely need to. But you need to learn to stand up for yourself. It would be good practice so that maybe you can stand up to that sum of a Dad you have.’ He mumbles the last part to himself.  _

_ You sigh. ‘He isn’t bad… he just has problems. A-and if what he does makes him feel better then I guess that's ok…’ You tell him quietly. Then mutter to yourself. ‘I probably deserve it anyway.’ _

_ He suddenly stands up making you flinch back a little. ‘No! That's not ok, or fine, or even in the realm of that! You Dad is meant to protect and take care of you! And you sure as shit don’t deserve to be to be treated like that. You are a wonderful person god damn it and I hate to see you wearing makeup to hide the bruises he gives you. Now you're being bullied for money that you need! Jesus!’ He plops down next to you under the tree you were sitting under. _

_ He rests his head on your shoulder and lets out a big huff. You smile at him before starting to pet his hair. ‘I’m sorry, I know you don’t like it when I get upset… I probably have a better temper than ass hat.’ He sighs again. _

_ You laugh a little. ‘Is that his new nam- _

You get pulled out of your thoughts by Maria waving a hand in front of your face. You blink and move back a little. “Oh sorry, my head was in the clouds. Can I get the american please Maria?” You ask her with a smile.

She gives you a thumbs up and then goes back to the kitchen. You grab one of the poppers and bite into it. You feel your phone buzz but ignore it as you see Papyrus look at you like he is about to speak. “WHO’S TURN IS IT NOW?” He asks as he grabs one too.

He eyes it suspiciously before taking a bite. He makes a face and then puts the rest down. “Yours I believe. And did you not like the popper?” You ask him as you eat the other half of yours.

His face starts to show a little concern. “I’M NOT THE BIGGEST FAN OF FRIED FOODS. AND IF IT IS MY TURN THEN MY QUESTION IS HOW MUCH HEALTHY FOODS DO YOU EAT?” He asks while eyeing the rest of the poppers.

You laugh a little. “What do you count as healthy food?” You say as you hear the musicians starting to set up.

You look over to see them looking a little panicked.  _ Must be late. _ You take another sip of your drink as you look back at Papyrus thinking. “HOW MANY FRESH FRUITS AND VEGGIES, NOT PROCESSED FOODS, AND WATER HAVE YOU HAD IN THE SPAN OF A WEEK?” He rephrases.

You feel your ears start to burn a little. _ Ah fuck, i’m going to get lectured again. _ “U-um I have eaten a fruit at least once a day… that's good enough right?” You say and laugh nervously.

You see his eye twitch slightly. “WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAVE DRANK WATER AT THE LEAST?” He asks as he sips his drink.

You guilty look away and quickly grab your water to take a sip. “Just now?” You say with a nervous smile.

He pinches the bridge of his nasal cavity and lets out a long sigh. “YOU DON’T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME YOU HAD WATER, DO YOU?” He more of tells then asks you.

You laugh nervously and take another sip of water. “S-so my turn now right?” You ask, shrinking down a little.

_ Now I know how Chris feels… _ “NO YOU ARE NOT GETTING OUT OF THIS THAT QUICKLY.” He mumbles something that you can’t quite understand. “WHY AREN’T YOU TAKING GOOD CARE OF YOUR BODY? THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING. EATING RIGHT, EXERCISE, HYGIENE,  _ AND _ HYDRATION. PLEASE AT LEAST TRY TO DO BETTER AT THIS.” He is more concerned than upset.

You sigh and nod. He seems to physically lighten up at this. “I think I know what my next question is.” You say as you look at him in the sockets. He seems to catch the drift of the seriousness of this one. “Why do you care about me so much? I don’t mean to sound rude in any way or anything! You’re an amazing friend and I love to hang out with you, it’s just that we’ve only known each other for a couple weeks and yo- we both act like we’ve known one another for years. I’m no expert on friends, but isn’t that a little weird?” You ask as you eat another popper.

He thinks it over a little while before saying anything.  _ I barely remember what it was that Sans said about it. _ “FRISK HAD A SIMILAR QUESTION ONCE. SANS AND ALPHYS FIGURED OUT THAT MOST MONSTERS ARE A LOT MORE TRUSTING THAN HUMANS DUE TO US ALL LOOKING OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER IN THE UNDERGROUND, WHILE HUMANS DON’T SEEM TO BE LOOKING OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER UP HERE. IT ACTUALLY SEEMS LIKE QUITE THAT OPPOSITE SOMETIMES… THAT AND MONSTERS JUST NATURALLY FORM CONNECTIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO THEY ARE FRIENDS WITH!” He explains like he has said it multiple times.

You think it over a little.  _ Yeah that makes sense why they were ok with me for the most part in the beginning. Just in their nature to be nice I guess. _ You turn your head towards the stage to see that they are nearly ready. You listen as they try to tune the instruments. “ANOTHER REASON WOULD BE THAT YOUR A NICE PERSON AND I LIKE HANGING OUT WITH SOMEONE WHO IS ALMOST AS COOL AS ME! NYEH!” He tells you with a big smile you think he might break a cheekbone.

You laugh a little. “Well thank you Papyrus, but I don’t think i’ll ever be as cool as you. And it is also your turn now dear sir.” You say jokingly.

He laughs a little. “AH THANK YOU DEAR MADAM, MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS WHAT COLOR DO YOU THINK YOUR SOUL IS?” He asks before taking a sip of his water.

You blink slightly.  _ Can’t say I saw that one coming… _ “I-i’m not totally sure… I don’t really think I match up with any of the traits. I’m not a incredibly determined person and I don’t think i’m special enough to get a rare trait, i’m definitely not brave, I don’t think justice fits well enough, I’m not a very kind person, I guess i’m kinda patient, I most likely don’t have a lot of integrity, I give up on a decent amount of things so perseverance wouldn’t be one… Who knows! Maybe I don’t even have a trait.” You laugh. “I would guess patience then. Unless you have a better guess?” You ask him as you hear the players explaining who they are and apologizing for running a little late.

“I WOULD DEFINITELY SAY THAT YOU HAVE A GREEN SOUL! YOUR ONE OF THE KINDEST PEOPLE I KNOW, IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE IT SHINES THROUGH YOUR EYES!” He says with a cheeky smile.

You smile back at him.  _ I wish I was decent enough to even have a dull green soul. _ Your phone buzzes again catching your attention. You look to see you have two texts from Sans. ‘make sure no ass hats go near him.’ Was the first and the second,‘if they do then give me a call.’ You blink at the weird amount of menace that you can feel off of those few words. You text him back that you will and put your phone away. “I’m not really sure about that Papy but thank you, i’m glad you think i’m a nice person.” You tell him, not noticing your mental nickname for him slipped.

You see his smile widen. “WELL I DO INDEED. NOW I BELIEVE IT’S YOUR TURN TO ASK PAPY A QUESTION.” He says cheekily.

You redden slightly. “Ah, sorry my words got mixed up… I-i um.” You look back up at him to see that he still has that cheeky smile.  _ Damn.  _ “So uh you said your brother taught you how to dance right?” You ask before taking a big sip of your drink to keep you from saying anything else dumb.

He perks up a little. “OH YES OUR MOM TAUGHT HIM WHEN HE WAS VERY LITTLE AND THEN A FRIEND TAUGHT HIM SOME MORE, AND THEN HE TAUGHT ME ALL THAT HE COULD! EVEN LOOKED FOR A COUPLE BOOKS FOR ME!” He explains to you happily.

_ Aww, that's sweet of him to do that for his brother. _ “So what type of dance did he teach you?” You ask him as you hear the musicians starting to play their first song.

_ Ah so Jazz it is. _ You smile to yourself.  _ Lovely, at least I can thank Maria for making me dance jazz this more. Probably did that on purpose. _ “HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO DANCE SALSA AND A LITTLE OF ONE THAT WE FOUND IN A BOOK. IT WASN’T IN GOOD CONDITION SO I DON’T THINK WE SAW THE NAME OF THE STYLE OF DANCE. OR I FORGOT.” He thinks a little harder.

You see Maria coming with the food and another glass of water. You start to clear the space for you both to eat your food comfortable, he does the same. “Do you know how to dance to this kind of music?” You ask as she starts to put the dishes down.

She smiles as she listens to the both of you talk. “WELL I’M SURE I COULD, I’VE HEARD A LITTLE BIT OF SIMILAR MUSIC HERE AND THERE. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DANCE TO THIS KIND OF MUSIC?” He asks as he grabs his drink and thanks Maria.

You nod to her and raise your glass to her with a smile before taking a sip. “Me and Chris learned something similar to this together, so if you follow my lead then I could probably teach you a little tonight! Are you a quick learner?” You ask him as you hungrily eye your burger.

He twirls his plate of spaghetti onto his fork and takes a bite as you speak. “THIS SPAGHETTI IS AMAZING!” He takes another bite and swallows before speaking again. “AH SORRY, I JUST COULDN’T HELP MYSELF! BUT I DO CONSIDER MYSELF A QUICK LEARNER TO MOST THINGS! EXPECTEDLY, I AM NATURALLY GOOD AT LEARNING MOST PHYSICAL THINGS. SO IT MIGHT BE ME TEACHING YOU BY THE END OF THE NIGHT!” He says jokingly before continuing eating.

You pick up your burger and take as big of a bite as you can manage.  _ The thousand island sauce here is sooo good! And not plastic looking cheese, yum! _ You both eat while listening to the musician playing a relatively slow big band jazz song. You look over to see Maria and John dancing together and laughing.  _ How cute. _ You finish half of your burger before putting it down so that you won't feel like garbage after dancing for a while. You look to see Papyrus had already finished all of his food and was calmly waiting for you while watching the few couples dancing.

You smile and then stand up and brush yourself off a little. “So you ready to learn how to dance to Jazz music?” You ask him as you lean against the booth.

He does the same as you and smiles brightly. “LET US DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY MARCY!” He says as he tasks one last sip from his water.

You both walk over to the dance floor and already see some people giving weird, rude, or confused looks. You look up at Papyrus to see his smile looks a little more forced. You add a small hop to your step so that you are more of bouncing along to the beat rather than just walking. He looks down at you and laughs a little. You both get to the off center part of the dance floor where there is a decent amount of room. “Okay, so do you know how to shuffle your feet around?” You ask as you hear the song change to going a bit faster. He looks at you questioningly before just rubbing his feet back and forth on the ground. “I’ll take that as a no then.” You say with a small laugh.

You start to shuffle them side to side and in front of one another, letting your legs follow behind. You then look up at him. He does a much slower version of what you did.  _ Ah so he is a fast learner, took me a bit to even do that. _ You smile and do it again a little faster and let your arms out to your side for a little balance. He does it again, almost matching your speed but keeps his arms close. “You can let your arms out Papyrus, if you bump someone just say sorry, they will understand, trust me!” You tell him as you look around to see more people have started to watch. He puffs a breath and holds them out like you and does it again. “You're doing amazing Papy!” You tell him with a grin.

He smiles a little brighter. You nod at him and you both do it together. You move your arms a little bit to the beat before stopping when you see him stop. He looks at you again, waiting for the next move that you'll throw at him. You keep your right foot in place and twist it from side to side, letting your body follow. At the same time you kick your left foot back and forth behind your right leg. You then stop and watch Papyrus more easily follow along with that one. You do it again and then switch feet back and forth until he joins you not long after.

You both put the two steps together making you both laugh a little as he seems to have gotten them down. He then pauses and you stop as well. You turn away from him with a smile and then switch your feet and spin around a little. You face him with a big smile and then spin the other way with your hands out letting your legs spread out a little. You pull your legs back together so that they are straight. You hear a cheer from Maria and you smile over at her before you poke him to let him know it's his turn. He turns away and then very quickly turns around making him stumble. You grab his arm to keep him from falling. You laugh a little. “A little slower, just pay attention to the music more so than the dancing. We’re here to have fun!” You say as you help him stand up. 

He seems to think for a moment before nodding and turning around to try again with a determined look. He does the turn perfectly and then spins around again, does the splits, and then pulls himself back up. He looks at you with a grin then starts to do the shuffling again. You smile back at him. _ Cocky already huh? _ He lets his legs move a little more freely as he moves his arms in a similar fashion. He then stops after a moment and turns to you smugly. “NYEH HEH! TOP THAT MARCY.” He says to you confidently.

A couple people here and there cheer for him. You hear Maria hiss as if she’s been burned.  _ Oh this will be fun. _ “If it's a challenge you want, then it's a challenge you’ll get Papyrus.” You say pleasantly.

The song dies out and you see out of the corner of your eye one of the guys lean down. You turn and they smile at you. “Hey gorgeous, you want a faster song or a slower one for your little dance battle there?” He asks you a little mockingly.

You hold back the urge to roll your eyes. “Faster if you don’t mind.” You say before turning back around.

You hear them count off the next song after muttering to one another. The song is decently faster than the last one. You start off with the shuffling, letting your arms free so they can swing around. You see that Papyrus has backed up so you shuffle closer and then do a hop jump so that one leg reaches your height. He seems visibly startled. You then slide away with your arms out to your side and smile at him. You then do a cross leg back and forth shuffle and then turn to very quickly kick your legs back and forth. You then twirl and scoot back to him and boop him on the nose. “Nyeh heh! How was that Papyrus?” You ask as you mimic him.

You hear a couple of whoops and Maria clapping. You try your hardest to not let your tiredness show yet.  _ Man I am really out of shape… _ He looks at you both impressed and mildly shocked. “WOWIE! I DIDN’T KNOW YOU KNEW HOW TO DANCE SO WELL!” He holds out a hand. “MIGHT I SUGGEST THE WINNER GETS A DANCE WITH THE OTHER?” He asks with a smile.

You try not to laugh while you take his hand. “Hmm, I think that sounds like a wonderful plan. May I have this dance Papyrus?” You ask as you do a small shuffle with your feet.

His smile grows as he holds onto your hand. “OF COURSE YOU MAY! LEAD ON MY FRIEND!” He says as he starts to mimic you.

Your smile turns into a mischievous grin. “Well then hold onto my hand and don’t let go.” You tell him before grabbing the other and pulling him to you.

\---------------------------------------------------Papy’s.pov-----------------------------------------------------------

Marceline tightens her grip slightly and grins mischievously. “Well then hold onto my hand and don’t let go.” She tells you before grabbing your other hand and pulling you to her.

She spins you both around while still shuffling her feet. You try to keep up and almost trip but Marceline grabs your back and quickly spins you around so that she acts like she is dipping. You pull her back up and she smiles. You both let go of one hand and stretch out and do similar shuffles. She does a slower one and waggles her finger and you try to mimic her quick moving kicks from earlier. She laughs with joy and you feel yourself smile a little brighter.

You spin her around making her laugh even more. “Well you most definitely learn quick Papyrus!” She tells you as she grabs your other hand and pulls you so you both spin around again.

After more dancing and laughs the song ends. You see her sweating bullets as more people cheer. “WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAD HOME SOON? IT IS GETTING A LITTLE LATE AND I AM FEELING A LITTLE TIRED AFTER ALL THAT FUN.” You say to her as you both head to your booth.

She grabs her cup of water and takes a couple of drinks. You grab your phone, that you had recording you both the whole thing. _I BET EVERYONE WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS!_ _OH, BUT I HOPE SHE ISN’T TOO TIRED, THAT COULD BE WORRISOME._ You worry to yourself as you both sit back down. The human John comes over with a happy smile. “You two were amazing! I haven’t seen you dance like that since the last time your brother was here!” He says to Marceline as he hands her a to go box.

She smiles at him as she puts her fries, burger, and the rest of the poppers in the box. “Well thank you John, I think we are going to be heading out here in a bit if Maria doesn’t come back out tell her that I said goodnight and I'll see later.” Marceline tells him with a smile.

He nods to her and tries to grab some of the dishes. You and her both stack them up so they are easier to grab and hand them to him. He smiles and mouths a thank you before taking them away. Marcy finishes off both of her drinks and then stands up. You start to as well before she says, “Oh we don’t have to leave just yet, i’m just going to the bathroom really quick. I’ll be back In a moment, Papyrus.” After she says that she walks away.

You take out your phone again with a smile. You trim the video up a little so that it’s just the both of you dancing and the music. When you are done you send it to the group chat.

‘Look what Marceline has taught me tonight!’

You send the video and wait for their responses. Sans is the first to respond with Undyne following quickly behind.

‘wow paps, that’s pretty cool! i didn't know she could dance, but seems you stole the show.’ sends Sans.

‘Fuhuhuhu! You both look so cool! And it looks like Marceline got some people interested in her! Oooo!’ Undyne texts as well.

You laugh a little to yourself.  _ MARCELINE DID NOT SEEM TO LIKE HIM VERY MUCH AFTER HE COMPLEMENTED HER WEIRDLY. _ Alphys then sends multiple texts.

‘Wow! You both look amazing!’

‘Great job Papyrus!’

‘What place are you guys at?’

You quickly text the name when you see Marceline walking back with a smile. She grabs her food box and waits for you to get up. “I’m ready to leave when you are!” She tells you while she leans on the booth.

You get up and brush yourself off again as a thought enters your mind. “WAIT DON’T WE STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE FOOD?” You ask as you follow her to the front.

She smiles at you. “I already paid when I was heading towards the bathroom, so we can leave now.” She tells you as she stops by the front to say goodbye to human Maria.

She gives Maria a hug and she smiles as she hugs her. “You get home safe ok Bomboncita? And I expect you to get home safe as well young man.” She says as she waggles her finger warningly.

You smile back at her. “I WILL MAKE INSURE THAT WE BOTH MAKE IT BACK TO OUR DORMS SAFELY MA’AM.” You tell her as Marceline tries not to laugh at how serious that Maria is poorly trying to seem.

Maria walks over and gives you a hug. Your eyes widen for a moment before you hug her back happily. “Well that works for me. I hope to see you again Papyrus!” She tells you as she goes back to her little server podium.

You all wave to each other as you and Marcy leave. You both walk in relative silence before you hear her opening her food box again. You look down to see her eating another one of the greasy ‘poppers’ that she liked so much. “ARE YOU HUNGRY AGAIN? I WOULD GREATLY RECOMMEND NOT EATING ONE OF THOSE UNHEALTHY THINGS.” You say as you peer into the box. “DID YOU GET MORE?! THERE WASN’T THAT MANY IN THE BASKET BEFORE! I REFUSE TO LET YOU EAT ALL OF THESE, THAT IS SO BAD FOR YOU!!” You go to grab the box but she quickly closes it and shoves the one in her hand into her mouth.

She takes a hop away and quickly tries to eat the one in her mouth. “No! They make such good food there! You won't take these from me! Junk food is everything!” She says to you while starting to jog away.

You groan and jog to catch up. She looks behind her with a smile that quickly turns into shock. She then takes off into a bolt and you do so as well. “I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT YOUR NOT GOING TO OUT RUN ME.” You tell her as you easily catch up and start jogging quickly next to her as she just as quickly gets more tired.

You easily scoop her up by her armpits and hold her under your arm. You pluck the box out of her hands as she jumps from surprise. You slow down and start walking again. She pushes at you trying to get down but barely does anything to push herself out. “You're lucky I'm already tired or I would have gotten out of here by now.” She jokes, sounding out of breath.

You laugh a little. “NYEH HEH HEH, SURE MARCY WHATEVER YOU SAY MY FRIEND.” You tell her as you head back to the dorms.


	13. No breaks.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Periods are fun... no?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all 1000+ plus that clicked on this, it means a lot to me that you have read it. I hope you are all doing well and if not then I hope it gets better!  
> "AND DON'T FORGET TO DRINK PLENTY OF WATER LOVELY HUMANS! IT IS GOOD FOR YOU!" -The Great Papyrus   
> "be sure to get plenty of sleep too, its would be a dream if you did." -sans  
> "D-don't worry to much about e-everything that is g-going on! J-just focus on what you need t-to do and y-your loved ones!" -Alphys  
> "Make sure your eating right too punks! Can't have you fighting well if your not feeling well!" -Undyne  
> "Don't do anything stupid" -Flowey  
> "Don't hurry anything that stresses you out. You have time my child." -Toriel  
> "There is always someone who cares, even those you least expect." _ Asgore  
> *You tell the reader that no matter what happens they are still them, and that's a wonderful thing to be* -Frisk  
> "You are almost as fabulous as me Darlings!" - Mettaton  
> "Woof" - Annoying dog

You wake up sweating and groggy. You roll over in your bed in pain and groan as you check the time.  _ It's friggin two in the morning. Why? _ You cuss as you try to stand up and decide against it.  _ Was it something I ate? _ You grab your phone again and turn it on.  _ wait… _ You throw your blankets off and force yourself to jump up. “GAH!” You yell out.

The pain grows and shoots from your stomach to your legs and spine. You lead on the wall and painstakingly make your way to the lightswitch. As the light gets flicked on you hear Sole chirp at you. “Yeah good morning to you too handsome.” You say as you slowly make your way back.

He rolls off of his back and hops down to follow you as you slowly hobble your way to your bed. As you spot the small red spot on the bed you feel yourself die a little on the inside. “Nooooo…” You cry to yourself and Sole.

You feel yourself start to hurt more and decide that the best course of action would be going to the bathroom. You grab your phone and walk your grumpy self to the bathroom with Sole close in tow. He loudly purrs at you while rubbing against your aching legs. You feel a small droplet roll down your leg and curse under your breath and start to pick up your pace.  _ God fucking damn everything. _ You sit down on the toilet and feel more blood come out.  _ God this is so nasty. _ You pick up Sole and put him on your lap so that he warms up your legs.  _ If getting cold easily wasn’t a problem for me already it fucking is now. _

You wait a little longer before stripping yourself of all of your clothes below your waist. As you get up and put Sole on your shoulders you flush the toilet.  _ Yucky blood. _ You grab the necessary things and as quickly as you can, go to your room for pajama pants and underwear.  _ Damn irregulare mother fucker. _ You point angrily at your uterus. “I hate you! I hope you know this you bitch made twat!” You yell angrily.

You change and do what is needed before deciding to take off your bed sheets and blankets.  _ They all need a wash anyway. _ You look at your mismatch blankets and fuzzy pillows before taking the cases off as well.  _ Might as well do it now rather than later. _ You think it over for a moment.  _ Fuck they don’t open the laudry room till 6. _ You sigh to yourself. You grab your fuzziest blanket and your biggest pillow before walking into the living room and throwing them on the couch and gently put Sole on top. You then walk to the kitchen to grab some pain killers and a drink.  _ A monster sounds great right now… _

As you grab the large monster from your fridge you also grab the leftovers from yesterday. You throw those in the microwave and pop the pain killers into your mouth swallowing them dry. You start to open the monster when a funny thought pops into your head. ‘Hey did you know there is a drink called monster?’ You send to Sans.  _ He always likes a good joke. _ ‘Can you imagine?’ You joke at him.  _ It's two in the morning and you're sending your friend's brother random info and puns. You have issues Marcy… _ You let out a big sigh and stop your microwave before it beeps and grabs your food.  _ I’m so glad that Papyrus didn’t take my food from me last night... _

You think back to it as you make your way back to the couch to make yourself and Sole a nest out of the blanket.  _ ‘NOW I WILL ONLY GIVE THESE BACK IF YOU PROMISE TO START DRINKING WATER MORE REGULARLY MARCY.’ He scolded as he held your food above your head. _

_ You took a couple jumping grabs at it but just ended up more sweaty and tired. ‘Fine! I will personally tell you if I had water if that means you won’t take my food!’ You quickly say as you try at another grab. _

_ He sticks out his pinky bone and leans down so that he is eye level. ‘PINKY PROMISE?’ He asks seriously. _

_ You pause for a moment shifting your attention to the very serious Papyrus.  _ Oh this is serious… But why does he want me to drink more water? _ ‘Pinky promise.’ You say as you lock pinky’s with him and do a weird little shake. _

_ He smiles and hands you your food. ‘I WILL SEE YOU LATER MARCY. ALTHOUGH I MAY BE LATE FOR OUR HANG OUT TOMORROW, ME AND UNDYNE ARE GOING TO HANG OUT!’ He says to you as he heads back to his door. _

_ You smile. ‘Oh cool! Well have a good time Papyrus! Goodnight!’ You tell him as you head into your dorm. _

_ Yo- _ A ping from your phone draws you from your thoughts. You look down at your phone to see you got a text. ‘i didn't know that, but thanks for the info. i have a thirst for knowledge’ Sans texts to you. You smile at the pun and then flick on the tv. You switch it to netflix and pick some random show. You think for a moment before texting back.

‘Oh it’s refreshing to know that. I soda assumed you would be asleep right now though.’ You open your monster and take a sip.  _ If I wasn’t going back to sleep I'm definitely not going to now. _ You sigh and put your drink down to take a bite of your old burger.  _ Might be a little old but it is still good.  _ Your smile turns sour as you feel the ache in your legs throb a little. You put your food on the table by the drink and sigh as you start to massage them.

Another ping distracts you from what you're doing. ‘eh i’m not one to be what others assume, it's better to drink in all my weirdness a little bit at a time.’ You laugh a little and type back quickly.

‘Well I’ll keep that in mind. Water you doing up this early anyway?’

‘just sitting around on my phone talking to someone at this awful hour making glassy puns, what are you doing this late at night drinking an energy drink?’

‘Ah well you see pain is one hell of an alarm and doesn’t let people fall back asleep most times. So why fight it?’ You take another sip from your drink and then grab another popper to eat. As you eat a little more you grab Sole with your off hand from your side and lay him on your lap.  _ I hate everything. _ You pray to everything and anything that the painkillers kick in sooner rather than later. You feel your phone buzz again and pick it up.

You look over the text and try not to laugh. ‘ah well that’s a pain. i’m sore-y about that from the bottom of my hurt. i would be belly aching the whole time’ You huff a laugh after a moment and try to think of something witty to come back with.

‘Oh you wound me with your jokes, but no need to be sorry you didn’t cause it unless you're cruisin for a bruisin. Although now that I think about it I think i’ll cut that’ You send back as you look up at your tv to see you turned on an art contest show that you’ve seen before.  _ Oh this is the one that my favorite gets voted off. _ You then change it to just music.  _ What time is it now anyway? _ You glance at your phone to see that it is 3:24.  _ Why is time so sloooow… _ Just as you contemplate just changing your bed sheets and blanket so you can sleep in your bed when the painkillers kick in and you’re not hurting as bad.  _ Mmm sleep sounds wonderful. _ You pat Sole twice to let him know your getting up.

You eat another popper before you put them back in the fridge. You pluck the blanket and pillow off of the couch and head to your room. You stare at your bed a little longer before deciding the floor requires less work. You grab all of your clean blankets and pillows to make a makeshift nest or mound of some sort.  _ Perfect. _ You walk back to grab your phone to see that Sans was also going to try and get some shuteye. You text him back, ‘Oh well goodnight and sleep well Sans’ before you flop into your nest mountain and curl up with all the blankets. Sole loudly meows one long note the whole way seeing that you made a nest for both of you.

You pick up one of the blankets so that he can sleep in it with you. “Good night Sole, thank you for being my fluffy heater.” You give him a little kiss on the head and cuddle him close. “I love you buddy.” You tell him as you curl up close and hold him close.

After a while you feel yourself drifting back off into sleep.  _ I wonder if I could get Pixie some groceries tomorrow. _ Was the last thought you had before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You wake up to your spine hurting again.  _ Here we go again… lovely. _ You think bitterly. You slowly get up with very little help from Sole as he lays on the blanket that you were under. You head to the bathroom and change everything that you need to change and to brush your teeth. You then head to the living room and grab your forgotten monster.  _ Thank god for caps, it may still be a little fizzy.  _ You take a swig to quickly realize that toothpaste and monster don’t go well together.  _ Yuck yuck yuck. _ You walk into the kitchen and grab a box of non surgery cheerios and dump some into a bowl while you glance at the counters to see where you last put the painkillers.

You see them and take a swipe at them, causing them to fall on the floor and spilling.  _ Fuck.  _ You scoop them back in and pop a random one in your mouth before putting them back.  _ If I'm going feral I might as well commit. _ You put the box back and grab a handful of the cereal from the bowl and eat it.  _ Dry, crunchy, and tastes like wheat. Perfect. _ You move to the table with your ‘breakfast’ to continue eating and staring off into nothingness. You sigh and check the time.  _ 6:34... Hmm. I should probably do laundry soon. _ You finish off your  _ very well made  _ breakfast and go to your room to change, grab the laundry, and some quarters. You count the quarters and decide that three full cycles could do all your laundry.

You put some food into Sole’s bowl and head back to your room. You stuff all of your laundry into one big bag and put it by the door before putting pants and a hoodie on. You put all of the change in your pocket and your phone in your hoodie pocket before slinging the bag over your shoulder with a grunt. “I’ll be back soon Sole! I love you.” You say as you grab another monster and your keys.

You hear him mew and start walking over. “No no you can’t come sir. Last time you tried to kill a bird and almost got hit.” You say while trying to point at him disapprovingly with your hands full. He sits down and loudly meows at you.  _ Sassy baby.  _ “I’ll bring you a warm blanket when I get back.” You say as you open the door.

You close and lock the door and then shove the keys in a random pocket. You make your way through the dorm till you reach the laundry room and sigh with relief.  _ My arm feels dead… _ You look around to see no one else and smile on the inside a little. After going to the good washer and putting your bedding in you put the other clothes into two other washers and almost forgetting to put the soap in there, you start them all. You go to the table by the door and sit on top of it. The sound of them spinning and the occasional clunk from a button makes you feel drowsy again. You open the monster and take a swig.  _ Eh, my organs can take it. Better than booze. ...Probably… _ You lean your head against the wall and close your eyes for a little while so you get rest just a little longer.

After a while you sigh and pull out your phone to see that you got a text earlier. ‘Hey dude! I’m in town this week! You better watch out!’ You breathe a laugh and smile.  _ Well I doubt they would go to the laundry ro- _ Your thoughts get interrupted by the sounds of Papyrus explaining things and rules about the dorms. “That’s so dumb! Do humans like doing it so much that they have to separate one another all the time?” You hear undyne from down the hall.

_ Ah. Well fuck, guess I was wrong. _ You take another sip from your drink. “UNDYNE DON’T BE RUDE! I THINK IT’S PART OF THEIR NATURE. THAT WOULD EXPLAIN WHY THERE IS SO MANY.” You here papyrus try to explain. “BUT THAT DOESN’T EXPLAIN WHY THEY ONLY SEPERATE BOYS AND GIRLS…” He makes a humming sound like he is thinking.

Their footsteps sound right outside the door making you hide the drink in the empty laundry bag.  _ No nagging for me please. _ They walk in and you hear Undyne laugh. “Fuhuhuhu, I thought you would be in class today like Alphys! What’re you doing here?” Undyne asks as she walks over to you.

You see Papyrus brighten up and smile as well. “NYEH! MARCY I WASN’T EXPECTING YOU HERE TODAY!” Papyrus says to you happily.

You smile at the both of them. “Ah well normally I do laundry in the laundry room. It’s nice to see you both!” You say to both of them with a big smile.

You see Undyne smile a little brighter before she flicks you in the forehead.  _ What the- _ “Hey don’t get smart with me you little spit fire.” She says to you before turning to look around. “Huh. This is a lot of washers in one place, what do you humans do with this many?” She asks as she walks over to the ones that are on to look.

You think for a moment before speaking. “Well normally there are more people here and they are all doing laundry, so the more washers and dryers then the less waiting people have to do. Most people nowadays are pretty impatient. That and we can’t have them in our rooms since they would have no room and nothing to connect to.” You quickly explain to her hoping that she doesn’t see the huge blood patch on your sheets.

She seems to think over for a moment before nodding. “That makes a lot of sense, but doesn’t that cost them a lot of money?” She asks you again.

Papyrus sits in a chair by the one you had your feet in. “Yeah but we pay for it I think. We have to put quarters in there, it is 4 dollars for a wash and dry. That's what the slot that your poking is for, you put the coins in there.” You tell her as she retracts her hand and goes back to looking at your clothes.

You all sit there in relative quiet before Papyrus takes out his phone and quickly types something. Your phone buzzes and you look to see he texted you. ‘Are you ok? You smell like blood and something I can’t quiet place.’ You feel your face flush slightly before you breath and start to type back.

‘Yes i’m ok, it isn’t a wound or anything, it is normal for female humans to smell like this once a month, we bleed for around a week for completely normal reasons and then when it stops we are fine.’ You text him back trying to sound as professional as possible.

Undyne walks over and sits next to Papyrus. “Why is there a red spot on your sheets?” She casually asks.

_ God damn it. _ Your face flushes again and you slouch a little more. “It’s blood.” You reply to her quickly and slightly cold.

She snaps her head towards confused and concerned. “What the hell?! What happened?!” She asks you quickly as she leans in closer.

You sigh and turn away to take a sip from your monster. When you turn back around you see the both staring at you confused and concerned. “Do either of you know what a period is?” You ask looking from one to the other, hoping that you won’t have to explain anything. They both look equally confused and nod their heads no. “Oh course not… So little thing about female humans, most of us bleed around once a month for a week straight. Some happen around the same time and others are random, I have a random one so clothes and bed sheets get the short end of it sometimes. We bleed because skin and blood build up in an organ called the uterus. It builds up there just in case we get pregnant. You know what that is right?” You ask half jokingly.

Papyrus nods yes while still looking concerned while Undyne looks mildly offended. “Of course we know what pregnancy is you chump! So in other words if you don’t have a baby all the blood and skin stuff you were saving empties and it takes a week. Makes sense. Must be inconvenient, does it hurt?” She asks while sending a glance to your gut.

You laugh dryly as soon as she asks. “For some it doesn’t hurt for others it can make us hurt so bad that we just cry for hours and not want to move. It can make some girls emotional too which is fun. But when it hurts they are called cramps, they normally only hurt in the gut but in worse cases they can make your thighs and legs hurt and or your spine and back. Some people get nauseous too.” You finish telling them and hear your laundry beep.

You get up to go change them all. You glance over your shoulder to see that both of them seem to be thinking very hard. You put them all into the dryer and then walk over to the vending machine while grabbing a five dollar bill from your phone case.  _ I’ll have to replace this later. _ You get three packs of M&M for you all.  _ Chocolate time. _ You walk back and hand them to them all. They thank you as you hope back onto the table and rest your head on the wall. “WHAT KIND OF PERIOD DO YOU HAVE?” Papyrus asks innocently.

You inhale the M&M that you were melting in your mouth and start coughing. You cough it back up and swallow it properly. “U-uh well mine is very random, so I never know when it’s coming, I don’t really get moody unless I don’t get enough sleep, and I tend to be on the unlucky side when it comes to the pain part of things. But at least I can take some painkillers and it's not as bad so I can just forget about it for a couple hours. Chocolate, meat, fruits, caffeine help too but not a whole lot. I just nap and take painkillers normally.” You tell them as you laugh a little at then end.

_ Actually a nap doesn’t sound awful right now. Maybe I will when I get back to the dorm. All the blankets will be warm! _ You think excitedly. “OH THAT'S NOT GOOD! ARE YOU IN PAIN AT ALL RIGHT NOW? IS THAT ENOUGH CHOCOLATE?” Papyrus starts to mumble to himself full of worry.

You smile at his concern and pat his shoulder. “You don’t need to worry Papyrus, I’ve been dealing with this for years, I’m used to it. I’ll live.” You shoot a big smile at him and try to keep from yawning.

He looks you up and down like he doesn’t trust you. “Well I didn’t know that humans did that but that’s kinda hardcore. ‘No baby this month? THEN LETS RELEASE THE BLOOD AND FLESH!’ FUHUHUHU.” Undyne yells while she hops up and flexes downwards with a grin.

You all laugh together. After talking for a little bit about their plans of working out and sightseeing today and giving them some recommendations you hear your laundry ding. “Ah well seems my laundry is done. I’ll see you guys later! Have a fun time today! If you need anything I'm just a text or call away.” You tell them as you fold and pack your clothes away.

They wave and smile at you. “Same to you punk! See ya!” Undyne says to you.

Papyrus thinks for a moment before saying anything. “COULD YOU TELL SOLE THAT I’M SORRY I WASN’T THERE TODAY PLEASE?” He asks you a little upset.

Your smile grows slightly. “Yeah of course I can, I’m sure he will understand Papyrus.” You say to him as he passes through the door.

You say your goodbyes as they both finally leave and you are left by yourself, listening to the random sounds of the empty room. You take out your monster and sigh before taking a sip.  _ I need another nap... _ You sling the laundry bag over your shoulder and stuff the drink in with the clothes after you close it.  _ Time to take a great nap in warm blankies. _ You make your way back down to your dorm at a snail's pace, looking out windows and trying to think of how to set up your bed.  _ Maybe pad the walls with pillows, put the comfy ones by my head, and all the blankets from softest to heaviest under them so that they all seem neat for a bit. _

You pop a couple more M&M’s into your mouth and go to grab your keys. You hear a couple people’s voices and go to look before you realize you recognize it.  _ Fucking colins and some of his friends… _ You quickly go to unlock your door and hear one of them call your name. “Fuck off dude. I warned you.” You say as you quickly slip into your room as you hear him running to you.

You turn and slam it shut and quickly lock it again.  _ Why does today suck so fucking much?! _ “Oh come on out pretty little lady, we just want to talk!” Colins friend yells out as Colin himself knocks on the door.

You look through the eye hole and sigh.  _ Three guys including Colin. _ You grab your phone and open your chat to dorm security. ‘Hey Rodney? The Colin guy that was harassing my neighbor is back and he is banging on my door with two of his friends. Could you do something?’ You quickly type to him.

The knocking stops and you feel your stomach drop as you hear them trying to unlock your door with a credit card. You quickly lock the deadbolt and try to hold on to the other one so they don’t think they can do that in the future. You hear one grunt as your fingers start to become more and more sore. “Hey come on now Marcy, no need to be rude to your guests, what happened to that brave little girl that broke my nose a week ago huh? Or are you just a chicken shit without your disgusting friends?” He asks, sounding meaner by the second.

You dryly laugh at him. “Ah well unlike you I don’t back up to take on your wimpy person. And i’m not dumb enough to try to ‘talk’ to you when you have two goons with you that do what you say. Thanks for the confidence boost though! Reminding me that i’m not an idiot.” You say cockily as you see a couple more people coming down the hall.

You check your phone to see that Rhodny texted back, ‘Omw’  _ Well at least this problem was solved quickly. _ “Hey dude what the fuck! Don’t fucking touch me you deformed trash bag.” You see Rhodny flinch at the name calling.

He then picks him up and slings Colin over his shoulder.  _ Oh he is not getting back in again anytime soon. I’ll make Rhodny his favorite tonight. _ You wait till they are a little ways away before opening the door. “Thank you for taking out the trash Rhodny! I owe you one! Thank you both as well!” You say to the three guards.

You see Colin turn beet red and glare at you while Rhodny smiles a little brighter.  _ He can’t help that he had a cleft lip. I swear that i’m going to murder the guy. _ You go into your room and sort the types of clothes into piles so that the heat stays in the blankets and so you can easily put them away.  _ Should I get a restraining order on Colin? _ You wonder as you look for a recipe for your brownies and special milkshakes. You think for a moment before sending him another text. ‘Hey Rhodny could you and the other two that helped please meet up in your office in around an hour and a half? I know I’ve asked you a lot today but this is the last one I swear!’ You then quickly get to making the brownies and taking the ice cream out so you can scoop it out when you're done.

_ I hope they all like chocolate… _ You pop it into the oven when it's ready, save for a cup of the mix.  _ Always goes good for making other things. _ After a while of humming to yourself and trying casually eating the left over batter in the bowl you take the brownies out so that they can cool off a little. You glance at your phone to see he sent back a thumbs up. You put a couple scoops of ice cream in the cups you grabbed and pour a little milk in and stir it around till it looks right and then put a dollop of brownie mix into them and stir again. You make an extra fourth one and put it into the freezer so that it still is a good consistency when you get back. You take three brownies and put them in separate napkins and tuck them into your coat pocket.  _ Oh I hope they don’t mind… _

You take all of them and tuck them in your arm and walk to the door. You hesitantly unlock it and walk out before locking it again quickly. You speed walk your way to the office so that everything still tastes good. You knock on the door and wait a moment. You see one of the guys you don’t know that helped open the door. He looks at what you have and see his eyes light up. He lets you in and you spot Rhondy beaming at you. “You brought gifts! Yes!” He says happily.

You hand him the guy that let you in, and the girl that helped you as well the milkshakes and then take the brownies out of your coat pocket. They two you don’t know look at you wide eyed. “I hope you like them. Its brownies and extra chocolate milk shakes! Neither of you guys are lactose intolerant or have any other allergies right?” Your question filled with worry. Rhodny is already a bite deep into his brownie and seems to be in love with it.  _ Oh good he likes them! _ You look at the others to see them with the same faces. “Oh so you guys like them?” You ask hesitantly.

All you get in response is a couple of heartfelt nods.  _ Oh good! _ After quickly finishing off the brownie Rhodny finally says something. “So why the sudden praise of god like chocolate stuff? Was that guy really that much of a bother?” He asks you before taking a sip of his drink and making a humming sound of delight that prompts the other two to try their drinks, earning the same responds.

You sheepishly nod. “Look darling, if you make me these everytime we give him the boot from literally anywhere I will personally see to it.” The woman says as she takes a big bite from the brownie.

_ I don’t think I’ve seen her before, new maybe? _ You ponder as you look at her short yet incredibly fluffy looking hair. “Honestly that doesn’t sound like a bad deal.” You jokingly say to them. You look back at them to see them all pondering it. “O-oh you don’t actually have to do that. Just maybe don’t let him into the dorm? He harasses a lot of people here. I’ll still make you guys some brownies if ask and I have the stuff I need for it, free of charge.” You tell them a little more seriously.

They all seem to have liked that. After making some small chat and introducing yourself to the two other guards you decide to head home and finish with your main task of the day has been.  _ Do my frickin laundry. _ You go back into your dorm and head back to your room to put your clothes away. After you're done you find the smallest and warmest blanket and go throw it on Sole who was napping on the couch. You smile and then decide to finish off your monster and put it in the trash.  _ Now it’s time to drink more things that are bad for me! _ You grab the milk shake you were saving and take it to the couch.  _ Ah lovely. Some peace at last… _ You take a quick sip from your drink and smile.  _ Soo good! _

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You wake up from your half sleep, half spacing off state when you hear your phone ring.  _ Who in the hell is calling me? At-  _ You check the time.  _ 11 o’clock. _ You read the name to then realize you should pick it up.  _ Ah that would be the cute weeb herself. _ You answer the phone and hold it up to your ear. “Hey Alphys, whats up?” You ask as you pause the episode of Simpsons that you weren’t really watching.

You hear her moving things around and some mumbling before she says anything back.  _ She curses more than one would think. _ You say to yourself, mildly amused. “O-oh good afternoon M-Marceline, I’m s-sorry to call you so randomly and and I’m sorry i-if the question I’m about t-to ask is w-weird or invasive and p-please t-tell me if it is!” She quickly rambles to you.

You hold in a small laugh of pity. “Go for it, if it is I’ll probably answer it anyway.” You tell her as you shrug to no one in particular.

You hear more shuffling and someone talking in the background. “W-well for a project in c-class we have t-to make m-molds of a h-human b-body and use household th-things to replicate the organs. Y-your the only h-human I really know a-and it would mean a l-” You quickly cut her off.

You run your fingers through your hair as you speak. “Alphys if you ever need help with a project just let me know dude. Just come over anytime today or we can do it after I go to work tomorrow. Whichever works better for you.” You quickly tell her as you glance down at the purring Sole in your lap, lightly touching his body so you don’t wake him.

You hear her start to mumble more. “O-oh that’s wonderful! Th-thank you so much Marceline! I can head over in a couple minutes, I just need to grab a couple things if that’s alright.” She half asks you as you hear more things getting moved or knocked over. “O-oh damn it.” You hear her say as you hear a loud bang.

You laugh a little at the thought of what might be happening. “Take your time, I’m not really doing anything today but eating too much junk and being lazy.” You tell her with a small smile.

You hear a distant ‘Nyeh’ from the background. “YOU BETTER NOT BE OR I WILL CONFISCATE ALL OF THE JUNK FOOD IN YOUR HOUSE MARCY!” You hear Papyrus yell from the background.

You sweat slightly knowing that you shouldn’t take that threat lightly. “Ha ha… Well I’m going to tidy my dorm up a bit, i’ll unlock the door so just come in when you get here.” You tell her as you slowly move the blanket so that Sole is still laying down peacefully when you get up from the couch.

She quickly responds to you as Papyrus is still going on about your health in the background. “O-ok! Sounds great! Th-thank you again!!” Alphys tells you as she then hangs up.

You put your phone away and then look around your dorm.  _ Man… it got really messy here in one day… _


	14. Nerds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just friends being pals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ducklings! sorry for a longer wait!

After about ten straight minutes of cleaning your house you decide that it is clean enough to let it be good enough for company. You sit back down and wonder if you should take a painkiller before or after she gets here. You opt for before and walk to the kitchen. You open the fridge for your half drank monster and turn to get the painkillers out of the cabinet. You hear someone wiggling the doorknob and come in right as you swallow the pill. “H-hello? I-it’s Alphys.” She calls out a little nervously.

You take another sip of your monster. “I’m in the kitchen Alphys, go ahead and tell me what you need me to do. But before that, do you want anything to eat?” You ask her as you walk towards her. You see her holding many different things and a tarp. “Ah well by the looks of it you're just gonna make a corpse for anatomy instead. Poor choice of corpse though, been dead inside too long.” You joke at her.

She nervously laughs. “O-oh no I p-promise that won't happen! And th-thank you but I don’t n-need anything I ate not t-too long ago.” She tells you rather quickly.

You set your drink on the counter and walk over to help her with a couple things so she isn't holding an obscene amount of things. You set some of them down on the table and then offer her a seat.  _ So much for naps but oh well, probably would have just looked at randomness on my phone. _ “Can you explain to me one more time what you need me to do please?” You ask her as she eyes your drink.

She points to a couple of bags. “I-i have some undergarments in that b-bag so that y-you don’t h-have to u-u-undress all the way, s-so if you wouldn’t m-mind putting them on that would b-be helpful! Th-they uh… they show a lot of s-skin, it's like a w-weird bathing suit. B-but I promise I-i’m not t-trying t-t-to be weird or a-anything! I-I just don’t want t-to ruin any of y-your clothes a-and I need as c-close to normal body shape a-as I can get.” She says to you very rushed.

You let out a small laugh as you pick up the bag with the ‘weird swimsuit’. “Alphys your not weird for wanting to be accurate or for doing your work right. I appreciate that you brought me some clothes so mine don’t get dirty.” You tell her calmly. You see her smile at you a bit and relax enough to stop fidgeting with her claws. “Now I’m going to change into these, you can set up whatever you need to and I can come help as soon as I get back.” You quickly tell her before turning around to put the clothes on.

As you walk to your room you hear the sound of her moving things and the crinkling of the tarp. You smile to yourself slightly when you hear her talking to Sole and then very nicely asking him to please move a couple times before just giving up. You hide your laugh and take the clothes out of the bag.  _ Just a plain strapless bra and some spandexs. Looks the right size too, cool! _ You think for a moment longer.  _ I’m not really sure if I’m the best person for this… _ You think as you send a rude glare at your gut.

_ I really do need to cut down on the junk… and maybe work out a bit more.  _ You start peeling off layers of clothes and quickly get changed into your temporary new look.  _ Holy shit it is so cold now. It’s late july. I shouldn’t feel this cold. _ You look in the mirror at yourself, glaring at your stomach and thighs. You take one more glance at the mirror to see that a couple of scars were showing.  _ Ah shit shit shit… this outfit shows off my disgustingness more than I thought. _ As you try to avoid looking at any of the major ones you try to think of what to do.

_ I could hide them? no… avoid talking about them and hope she doesn’t ask? No… the whole group seems to like to ask questions. I could just say I don’t want to talk about it! But the- _ “M-marceline? Does everything f-fit ok?” Alphys asks, breaking your stream of thoughts.

You jump a little and walk towards the door. “I think so, does this look about right to you?” You ask her as you scratch over your left shoulder to try and hide your biggest scar.

You very gently place your hand over it, hoping to delay the inevitable. “O-oh it fits good! I’m g-glad I got the s-size right!” She says sounding much calmer. You look around to see she had many different things sitting around on a tarp covering most of the ground. “I’ll t-try my best t-to keep from spilling anything o-on your floor.” She tells you with a small smile.

You laugh a little. “Yeah that would be in floor taste.” You tell her with a cheeky grin trying to hide how nervous you are.

Alphys rolls her eyes a little but laughs as well. “You and Sans both l-love making puns.” She says as she starts to roll the grey sleeves of her shirt up. “Anyway, all I need you t-to do is stand for me a-and let me use your body t-to make a mold so th-that I can make a different one to fill with organs.” She tells you barely stuttering.

_ Is she getting comfortable here? Aww sweet! _ You think to yourself. “Ah going to use me like everyone else I see. Oh well, not super new.” You say to her jokingly. “Should I put my hair up for this?” You ask her as you look around for a hair tie.

She makes a small ‘snrk’ sound before saying anything. “W-well I won’t be going any higher th-than your neck, but it would help th-the both of us in th-the future if you did. But you’re t-the one who has to get th-this stuff out of your hair, so y-your call.” She says right back at you. You smirk a little and do your best to put your hair in a small bun. “S-so we can go from the neck down or w-we can go feet up, your choice.” She tells you as she then turns around to mix some things together.

_ Try and avoid talking about it sooner or later? Hard choice… _ “Well if we started from the feet up then it would be easier right?” You ask her to try not to grip harder onto the scar. You manage to sound as calm as you can. “Or is it better to go shoulders down?” You ask as you pull around the old wooden chairs for you both to sit on.

She takes a seat and thinks for a moment. You take another sip from your monster and try to keep your shoulder out of sight by leaning the other closer to her. “W-well shoulders down would let you h-have more free m-movement of your legs but f-from feet up would let you d-drink and do other things with y-your hands.” She calmly explains while looking at your drink again.

You close the lid again and hand her the can. “I think I’ll do it from the feet up then, just let me go to the bathroom first please.” You tell her as you quickly stand up to make your way to the bathroom.

She nods in acknowledgement as she reads everything on the can.  _ She seems to like reading, maybe she would like to have one of my old books. I think I have an anime one somewhere… _ As you head to the bathroom to change everything out regarding the painful waterfall of nasty blood you try to think of where the book might be.  _ Hopefully I still have it. _ You wash your hands and walk out of the bathroom to see Alphys frowning at the bottle. 

She takes notice to you walking back in and her frown lessens as she looks back up to you. “Th-this drink is really bad for you.” She tells you with barely a stutter. “H-how many of these d-do you normally drink?” She asks you as you sit back down in the chair.

You crack a nervous smile. “U-uh well I don’t drink them super often, but when I do it’s normally two or three in a day.” You wince prehemtantly, knowing the lecture/scolding was coming.

You hear her hum in an annoyed fashion. “I-i can already tell y-you know th-thats bad, so I’ll spare you of b-being talked at. J-just know th-that you better not let P-papyrus see.” She says with a small laugh.

You let out a small breath that you didn’t know that you were holding. “Thanks.” You meekly tell her. “So, shall we get this slow show on the road?” You ask, pulling a slightly brighter smile out.

She nods and gestures for you to give her your foot. You do exactly that and then realize that all of these things are going to be slimy and wet.  _ Nastyyyy… _ You held in a grimace as she put the first clump on your foot.  _ Ew ew ew ew ew ew e- _ “B-be sure to keep your feet st-still and t-to t-try avoiding spreading your t-toes.” She says as she puts the next clump on with more of a wet  _ thwap  _ then last time.

_ It’s so cold… _ You just nod at her and grab your phone from the table.  _ Maybe some tv could take my mind off of this. _ You more of ask then state as Alphys rubs the wet goop around on your foot and leg. “Hey Alphys, want to watch anything in particular?” You ask as you use your phone to turn on the tv.

_ A wonderful thing phones are. _ “O-oh uh I'm fine with anything th-that you want t-t-to watch.” She says as she taps your other leg.

You move it in her lap and prop your covered leg on your knee so it doesn’t touch anything.  _ I wonder if she has seen attack on titans… _ You wonder to yourself as you remember the couple of anime shirts you’ve seen her wear. You flip through a couple of rows before you find it. You click on it and hear the loud and exciting music start to play, pulling Alphys’s attention from rubbing goop on your foot to the anime. You smile slightly as you see her eyes go wide with joy.  _ Cute little anime bean. _ You joke to yourself. “I h-haven’t heard of th-this one before yet. Seems like one Undyne would like t-too.” She says mostly to herself.

_ From what you’ve heard so far from Papyrus that does make sense, seem right up her alley. _ “Oh well if you want to watch it with her you can! We can just watch something else if you don’t want to watch ahead, I've seen enough episodes to know what happens.” You tell her as you hear her tapping the outside of the mold to test if it’s dry.

You pause the show and look to her, waiting for an answer. “O-oh I have a b-better idea! N-not saying yours w-w-weren’t good or anything but th-this is just another i-idea.” She says a little too quickly, taking a second to process.

You smile at her calmly. “I’m sure it’s an even better idea if it’s coming from a smart person like you.” You tell her before you start to fiddle with your phone in your hand.

She smiles and you see a small blush creep across her face, almost blending in well enough to be missed. You hold in a bigger smile trying not to embarrass her further. “W-well we could i-invite Undyne a-and Papyrus over t-to your dorm as well and we could a-all watch th-this t-together!” She says to you, sounding very enthused by her plan.

You let your smile out freely and nod. “That sounds like a wonderful idea!” You say before thinking.  _ Wait. Ha. I’m a complete dumb ass aren’t I?! _ “B-but of course we don’t want to get side tracked or anything so the call is up to you Alphys.” You say to her trying to keep from sounding against the idea.

_ They can’t see my body. At least not this much of it. Hell! I don’t even want Alphys to see this much of my gut. Her poor eyes… _ You look up to her to see her setting her phone down with a smile. “I-it won’t distract me at all, I’ve been living with th-them for awhile now so it’s m-more like background n-noise.” She says as she taps your feet a couple more times. A satisfied smile creeps across her face. “T-time t-to move onto the shins.” She told you as she grabs your left foot to put more of the ewey gooey on it.

You watch as she takes another handful and puts it on your shin with a loud splat.  _ I won’t get used to this at all. _ As she started to spread the goop around to make a thin covering to add to soon. “So do you want me to press play?” You asked her while picking up your phone.

She put another clump on and smiled up at you. “O-oh no it’s fine! Th-they should be here soon a-anyway. Th-they don’t really t-take long when going somewhere.” She explains to you nonshalontly.

_ Ah yes. Of course they are coming. Wonderful. _ “Oh okay. Well hopefully they are ok with me not being able to be a good host at the moment.” You say to her jokingly.

_ Kill me. _ “Oh th-they won’t mind at. J-just t-try your best t-to keep th-them from cooking.” She says with a small shiver.

You remember the ‘eggs’ that Papyrus made for you. “If it’s as… ‘wonderful’ as my eggs Papyrus made me then I will make sure to do just that.” You say to her with a small grimace.

_ I know he really tries and he puts so much consideration into what he makes but man. Eggs aren’t meant to be crunchy… _ Alphys laughs at that and then motions for you to switch legs. You slowly move your legs in regards to her hand motions. Just as she goes to put more of the goop on you both hear a loud knock on the door. “Hey nerds! Let us in!” You hear Undyne’s muffled but loudly clear words from the front door.

You look to Alphys and then your legs. “Did you lock the door when you came in?” You ask her in a hushed tone. She quickly nods no before looking back at the door. “It’s open, just come on in.” You call back to Undyne.

You hear a small laugh from the two of them before the door loudly opens. They quickly walk in and spot the two of you.  _ Ah! Door abuse. _ “AH I SEE YOU ARE MAKING THE MOLDS ALREADY!” Papyrus says excitedly as he quickly walks over to touch the toughening mold.

You turn your shoulder a little farther away and tuck your gut at the same time.  _ I really don’t like this outfit choice Alphys. _ You think at her. Undyne seems to have already made herself at home on your couch, much to your relief. Papyrus stands up straight and looks kindly at the two of you. “AH I’M FORGETTING MY MANNERS. HELLO TO THE BOTH OF YOU AGAIN, I HOPE YOUR HAVING FUN.” He says to the both of you rather formally. “I’M GOING TO JOIN UNDYNE ON THE COUCH IF YOU NEED ME.” He states with a small flourish.

And with that you hit play again on the show. You watch Papyrus and Undyne get immediately drawn in. You smile slightly at the thought of a group of young adults still getting all of their attention absorbed by a type of cartoon.  _ At least all of them have their attention on the tv. _

After watching an episode or so, you and Alphys had made it all the way up to your stomach. You were now standing painfully still, trying not to fall due. You thought you saw Alphys throw a glance or two at some of the scars on you, but you didn’t see for sure. While she was smoothing out the goop you had to hold your breath to try to keep from laughing. “A-are you alright? Whenever I move m-my hand by your s-s-sides you start b-breathing funny.” She asks, voice filled with curiosity and concern.

You let out a small giggle. “Yeah yeah, i’m just really ticklish there.” You say with a small smile. “No need to be worried, I just need to try to focus on not laughing.” You say to her as you move your gaze from her to the wall behind her.

You barely notice a small smile creep across her face before she quickly goes back to smoothing the mold on your sides. You let out a loud laugh making her giggle. “WHAT MISCHIEF ARE YOU BOTH GETTING INTO BACK THERE?” You hear Papyrus ask happily.

You see the two on the couch to turn to see Alphys and you laughing while she wildly rubs her hands by your sides. “Oh no way! Marceline, you’re ticklish?” Undyne more of states rather than asks.

You try your best to speak. “N-NOOHAHA HEHE! I’M NOT TICKLISHSHSAHAHA OHMYGOSHSTAAHP IMA GON PEEEHEHEEE!” You call out as you start to cry from laughing to hard.

Alphys finally moves to a different spot to smooth after you start to wobble and bend around. All of you are laughing for a little while longer. “I didn’t k-know th-that humans besides frisk laughed th-that hard when th-they get t-tickled.” She says with a much more real smile.

You let yourself smile as well. “Most humans laugh really hard and wriggle when they get tickled. My bro Chris flails and kicks if you tickle him too much.” You tell her with a grin.

After she is satisfied with the molds she nods and sits back down to watch the tv. You look forward to see Undyne eyeing you. You cock your head slightly before you notice she is glaring and somehow looking concerned at the same time. She makes eye contact with you and then taps her shoulder. You feel your heart beat faster and your stomach drop. You nod your head no and give her your best pleading look. She looks hesitant and worried before nodding and turning to Alphys to flirt with her, making the poor girl turn bright red.

You laugh at some of the really cheesy pickup lines that you’ve heard a million times online before you get an idea. You pull out your phone as quickly as you can. ‘Hey Papyrus? Can I have Undynes number real quick? I have a wonderful idea ;)’ You look up and wait until you see Papyrus look at his phone. He reads it and then turns slightly to give you a suspicious look. You cheekily smile at him.

‘I suppose that is fine. Give me a moment please.’ You wait a little bit and laugh as more bad pickup lines are thrown. When Papyrus sends Undyne's number you take no time in texting her.

‘Hey its Marceline, I have something that will really have Alphys swoon for you.’ You hear Undyne’s phone go off. She stops laughing but keeps smiling at her very red girlfriend.

She squints at her phone as she reads. ‘And what would that be small fry?’ She sends to you while glancing up at you.

You send a smile up at her. ‘Ok ok, say exactly this.’ You watch her look at you suspiciously. ‘Alphys you are my yellow. (wait for her to ask what that is) A yellow is someone that makes you happy, your everything, what makes you really smile, your favorite person. You're my yellow Alphys.’ You send it off and look up at her.

You watch as her whole face lights up. “Hey alphys, i’ve got another one for yooou!” Undyne calls out to her with a flirty smile.

You and Papyrus both watch the scene unfold. “Oh n-no Undyne I don’t th-think I can t-take anymore.” Alphys says jokingly.

Undyne turns completely around on your couch to face Alphys. “Alphys you are my yellow.” Undyne says in a very matter of fact way.

Alphys’s face goes a little less red. “W-what do you mean? What's a y-yellow?” She asks a little hesitantly.

Undyne clears her throat a little before speaking. “Well babe, A yellow is someone who makes you happy, their what makes you really smile, your favorite person, they are your everything. You're my yellow Alphys.” She says with a loving look and then a playful wink.

You place your hand your heart and try your hardest to keep yourself from outwardly saying  _ awww. _ You glance over to Papyrus to see him trying to do the same with those adorable stars in his eyes. You smile at the scene and then smile wider as you see Alphys go completely red and run over to Undyne. “Undyne th-that was so nice o-of you t-to saay!” She nearly yells as she gives her a huge hug.

Undyne picks her up over the couch and sets her in her lap to hug her back. She looks up at you and gives you a thumbs up. You do the same to her and laugh a little.  _ They make such a great couple. _ Papyrus looks to you quickly before grabbing his phone and typing again, trying to avoid ruining this moment. ‘Is this what you had planned? You should plan things more often!’ He sends it to you.

You smile and send him a winky face in response. After the girls finally stop cuddling and being sickeningly sweet Alphys comes to cover the rest of you. You try to keep at smiling at how much happier Alphys looks. She goes to put some on your shoulder but pauses. Her face quickly changes from joyful to concerned and sad. She looks up to you and puts the globe away. She opens her mouth and you quickly motion for her to not do that… a little too late. “...W-what happened?” She nearly whispers.

She goes to touch it but your shoulder flinches slightly back. You glance over to see the others haven’t noticed yet.  _ Thank god it was at a loud part. _ You nod no again as she seems to catch on to what you mean. She picks up the goop again and puts it over that shoulder but gives you a look of ‘ _ we are talking about this later.’ _ that gives you dread.  _ All of them want to know now. Lovely.  _ You sarcastically think to yourself. She covers the rest of you all the way up to the neck. “Man this makes me feel a little claustrophobic.” You say to her casually. You glance over at the other two. “Hey if any of you guys are hungry then feel free to grab something from the fridge I made some brownies this afternoon if you want any.” You say to them, hoping that you're not sounding pushy.

The two on the couch look immediately at you. “YOU MADE BROWNIES?!” Papyrus nearly yells.

Undyne seems ready to jump the couch. “Where are the brownies?” She asks in a weirdly calm voice. You look to Alphys for help calming them down but only see her watching you with questioning eyes. “Where are the brownies Marceline?” Undyne asks again.

_ Ha… ha… They really like brownies. _ “U-um what gets hot, but never sweats and has a door you can’t enter through?” You quickly say to them.

This seems to stump them all. They look to one another before they start thinking. “A m-microwave?” Alphys asks you suspiciously.

You give her a simple nod no and she goes back to thinking. Undyne snaps and looks up at you. “The oven! Right? Either that or the dryer, but I don’t think that you would put food in there. ...right?” She says, suddenly eyeing you suspiciously.

You laugh a little. “No I wouldn’t put them there, and yes there in the oven. If you wouldnt mind could your bring me one to?” You ask as you watch her and Papyrus jump the couch and run to the kitchen.

Alphys pauses the show and smiles. Her smile quickly turns into a confused frown. “W-wait… how are you g-going t-to eat it? Your hands a-are a little busy at th-the moment.” She reminds and taps your slowly drying goop hands.

You smile brightly at her. “I have my ways. Just watch and learn what peak weirdness I have.” You tell her with a smile.

_ Hopefully not scare friends away level of weird. _ Undyne and Papyrus walk back in happily with big pieces of brownies. Undyne hands one to Alphys and sits at the table with you guys. Papyrus looks confused and sets yours down next to you before joining at the table. You lean over slightly in your chair and take a big bite out of your brownie.  _ Still good! _ You hear out a small snort. “Man that's one way of doing it.” Undyne says to you while holding back a laugh.

You swallow your brownie and smile to her. “Well unless one of you want to replace my hands I think I will continue to do so.” You say to her before taking a  _ very elegant _ bite from your brownie.

She lets out another low ‘snrrk’ sound that makes you laugh a little. After a while you feel that the mold is completely dry. “Hey Alphys? How do you exactly plan on getting me out of here?” You ask as you look around.

She goes back to one of the bags on the ground and pulls out a box cutting knife.  _ Ah well I guess my time has come. _ You think to yourself jokingly. “Undyne could you m-move her so th-that I can get t-to her back?” Alphys asks Undyne before answering you. “I’m just going t-to cut a line down th-the back. It is sort of f-flexible, so you should be able t-to get out decently. Just in case i’ll have th-these to help you out of there.” She quickly explains as Undyne picks you up and moves you like nothing.

  
_ Man she must be really strong. _ When you are perfectly still Alphys starts to cut straight down your back. You force yourself to hold your breath and not move a muscle. She puts the knife down and touches the mold a little. “TIME TO PULL YOU OUT MARCY!” Papyrus states mildly excited.


	15. stressed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wonderful things stress can do yeah? lovely thing that builds up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long! i've been so tired lately with the holidays and working!

You quickly try to stand on your own but nearly fall over.  _ Noooo! _ You try your hardest but once again nothing. Papyrus chuckles and wiggles his hands under your armpits through the back of the hole in the mold. He pulls you out with barely any resistance… from the mold. Once you're out you quickly make it seem as if you're itching your shoulder. “Oh thanks Papyrus! I’m going to go change real quick you guys.” You quickly tell them as you turn and walk away.

You hear minor whispering from them as you enter your room.  _ They must have found that rude… I don’t blame them, that was kind of rude… or maybe making fun of how pudgy I look in this. _ You second guess as you catch a look of yourself in the mirror. You strip and put on a sports bra and underwear before slipping on grey sweatpants and a plain blue shirt. You walk back out to see them still standing where they were before. They all seem to have some kind of weird look to them.  _ They all look upset in some way… Way to go jackass. Made them all upset with you. _ You stretch your legs out and give them a weak smile.

“So uh how did you guys like the brownies?” You ask them meekly.

They all hesitate to speak for a moment. “I WILL NOT LIE. THEY WERE AMAZING! LADY TORIEL WOULD BE PROUD!” Papyrus proudly tells you while clutching the air as he talks.

Your smile relaxes slightly at the complement. _ Why does her name sound familiar? _ You glance up at his face to see how forced his smile looked. His smile doesn’t reach his sockets, they were still filled with the same look as before. You struggle to keep your smile to stay how it is and your eyes happy.  _ Take a note from Elsa you big baby. Conceal don’t feel. _ You struggle with what to say now. “Thank you Papyrus, that's very nice of you to say.” Is the only thing that you can think to say.

An awkward silence that everyone grows uncomfortable with blooms and grows quickly. “Th-th-thank you for helping m-me with making a m-mold, I sh-should be able t-t-to clean th-this up pretty q-quick.” Alphys says nervously as she fiddles with her hands.

_ Fucking hell you just make everyone uncomfortable. _ You just nod back and decide to pause the discarded show. Undyne goes to help Alphys to help clean and pack things back up. You take to leaning against the wall near Papyrus who was furiously typing on his phone. His brow bone furrowing as he seems ready to smash his phone.  _ Must be talking to his brother. _ After a little bit longer of the silence Undyne and Alphys seemed to have finished packing. “Well I’m going to help Alphys take this up to her dorm! If you punks need anything just give one of us a ring!” Undyne states as she puts her thumb up to her flatter nose and wiggles the rest of her fingers at us before they both leave.

“I- we will see y-you guys l-later!” Alphys says she closes the door.

You give a small wave as Papyrus waves back enthusiastically. “You can go too if you want Papyrus, I’m not going to be doing a whole lot tonight, I have laundry I still need to fold and what not.” You tell him, trying to give him an easy out so he doesn’t feel obligated to stay. “That and you said Undyne was only here for a while so you should spend time with her!” You tell him chipperly.

He frowns for a moment before smiling brightly again. “YOU COULD COME TOO WHEN YOUR DONE WITH LAUNDRY! ME AND UNDYNE ARE MAKING FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI TONIGHT! IT IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!” Papyrus politely offers to you.

You smile a little. “I’m ok Papyrus, I have a lot of things to do, go have fun with your friends.” You push slightly.

He seems to think about it slightly before nodding. “IF YOU INSIST! I WILL MAKE SURE TO SAVE SOME FOR YOU! IT SHALL BE OUR BEST DISH YET!” He tells you filled with excitement.

You smile at him as he starts to head for the door. You open it for him and smile politely. “I’ll see you later Papyrus.” You say to him as he steps out.

He waves at you. “I WILL SEE YOU SOON! HAVE A GOODNIGHT MARCY!” He says to you before leaving.

You close the door and sigh. You click your tongue a couple times to call Sole to you. He jumps out from your bedroom and comes to you quickly. You slide down the nearby wall and let out a big sigh.  _ Why does today have to be so stressful… _ Sole rubs against you and chirps in concern. “Hey buddy.” You say as you start petting him. “Yeah i’m fine, just sensitive I guess.” You say quietly.

Fully slouch and curl up slightly.  _ What a day… _ Sole mews a little louder and starts purring. Your mind starts to wonder about the events that took place today. Weird educational laundry time with the Papyrus and Undyne, running from fuck face, watching him get dragged away, molds with Alphys and then everyone else, and now what ever weird environment that you made.  _ Wow you are just the queen of stupid. _ You think a little longer, finally fully processing the day when you realized you haven’t eaten any normal food today.

You stand up slowly, dreading moving from a tight ball. Sole chirps at you again and rubs against you. You sigh with a weak smile and scratch his scruffy chin before continuing to the kitchen to make something to eat.  _ A sandwich sounds amazing right now. _ You open the small pantry only to find that you have no bread.  _ Maybe some leftovers then? _ You ponder as you look to find that you barely have any real food left, just brownies, half a milkshake, eggs, cheese, and an unholy amount of monsters. You look to the fridge to see nothing easy or appealing.

_ Shit fuck. I need to go to the store… Well I need to go anyway to get Chris some things. I’ll go tomorrow night I guess. _ You grab a couple eggs and some cheese to make a terrible omelet. You quickly cook it to eat.

\------------------------------------------------------paps.pov----------------------------------------------------------

You grab Marceline under her shoulders to pull her out of the mold.  _ WHILE I AM HAPPY THAT SHE WANTS TO TRY TO GET OUT BY HERSELF, I DON'T THINK SHE COULD MAKE IT OUT. AND SHE IS MAKING IT VERY HARD FOR ME TO GET HER OUT. _ You pull her out and look down to smile at her only to spy a large scar on her shoulder. You feel your soul pinch uncomfortably. She poorly acts like she is itching her shoulder. “Oh thanks Papyrus! I’m going to go change real quick you guys.” She quickly states before rushing to her room.

After she leaves you look to the others to see they both have upset and questioning looks. "Did you know about that mark on her Papyrus? What is it from?" Undyne asked in a hushed voice.

You panic for a moment. "I-i don't think she wants me to tell… I don't even really know for sure myself…" You tell them both as quietly as you can manage.

Their curiosity seems to grow along with Undyne growing more upset. “W-what could h-have d-d-done that? It l-l-ooked larger t-than any s-scars i’ve seen o-on other h-h-humans. E-even most-t of th-the older humans d-don’t have any easily v-visible scars th-that big…” Alphys quickly says.

You go to say something but stop when you hear Marceline walking back to you guys. She nervously walks back in and stands a small distance away. You glance to the others to see different forms of concern on their face. She stretches out her legs and tries and fails to smile warmly at all of you. “So uh how did you guys like the brownies?” She asks quietly, attempting to break the silence.

There is a small pause before you decide to say something. “I WILL NOT LIE! THEY WERE AMAZING! LADY TORIEL WOULD BE PROUD!” You tell her while victoriously gripping the air.

That seems to make her smile just as you do that, making your smile a little more real in turn. You see her glance up at you and then the small smile in her eyes go out like a light.. Alphys leans in a little like she is about to talk, but Marcy beats her just slightly. “Thank you Papyrus, that’s very nice of you to say.” She says to you while looking everywhere else.

Her usual peppy and kind tone that you’ve grown to like had changed back into the nervous and reserved one from the second day you met. The pause comes back with a vengeance this time. Alphys goes to try to speak again. “Th-th-thank you for helping m-me with making a m-mold, I sh-should be able t-t-to clean th-this up pretty q-quick.” Alphys quietly says while messing with her hands, showing that she is uncomfortable.

Marceline's eyes seem to dim even further as all she does is nod back in response. After another second or so, she walked over and paused the show that you had forgotten about. Everyone seems to take that as a cue to start picking their things up. Marceline comes back and leans on the nearby wall. You pull your phone out and quickly text Sans. ‘Brother! Please help! I am confused on what to do in a situation.’ You hurriedly texte to him

After a couple of moments he sends a text back. ‘look bro, if it’s ‘another one of those racist humans, i’m gonna show you first hand what to do.’ His text reeking of angry sarcasm.

You frown slightly as you read that. ‘No brother it is with my friend Marceline. She seems very uncomfortable about something and has avoided all our questions and looks of concern and now everyone is acting really weird. She is acting as fake happy as the start of the day she helped me move! I am very concerned.’ You text him back feverishly.

After a moment of waiting for his reply Undyne speaks. “Well I’m going to help Alphys take this up to her dorm! If you punks need anything just give one of us a ring!” She says to the both of you with a smile.

She then does a rude but funny hand gesture and wiggles her fingers. They head for the door almost leaving before Alphys moves her head back a little. “I- we will see y-you guys l-later!” Alphys says she closes the door.

You happily wave to them as does Marcy.  _ I SHOULD GIVE THEM SOME ALONE TIME! THEY HAVE ONLY BEEN IN THE SAME SPACE FOR VERY LITTLE TIME. _ Marcy turns to you slightly. “You can leave too if you want to go Papyrus, I’m not going to be doing a whole lot tonight, I have laundry I still need to fold and what not.” Marceline says with an almost unnoticeable touch of sadness in her tone.  _ Almost. _ “That and you said Undyne was only here for a while so you should spend some time with her!” She says in a fake chipper tone.

_ YOU WORSE THEN MY BROTHER WHEN HE TRIES TO HIDE THINGS… _ You catch yourself starting to frown and bring it back into your usual smile. “YOU COULD COME TOO WHEN YOUR DONE WITH LAUNDRY! ME AND UNDYNE ARE MAKING FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI TONIGHT! IT IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!” You tell her, hoping to make her want to come or even smile genuinely.

You get a very small one. “I’m ok Papyrus, I have a lot of things to do, go have fun with your friends.” She says back while taking a small step forward.

_ I WISH YOU WOULDN’T PUSH ME AWAY LIKE SO. FRIENDS SHOULD BE THERE FOR ONE ANOTHER. _ You think for a second longer.  _ MAYBE SHE JUST NEEDS A LITTLE TIME TO COOL DOWN AND THINK LIKE SANS DOES SOMETIMES. _ You nod to her happily. “IF YOU INSIST! I WILL MAKE SURE TO SAVE SOME FOR YOU! IT SHALL BE OUR BEST DISH YET!” You tell her excitedly.

Her real smile grows slightly. As she opens the door for you her smile turns polite but fake. “I’ll see you later Papyrus.” Her voice a touch more sad this time.

You wave at her.  _ IS THIS WHAT I SHOULD DO? MAYBE I CAN CHECK IN ON HER LATER… _ “I WILL SEE YOU SOON! HAVE A GOODNIGHT MARCY!” You say before you turn to leave.

As soon as you hear the door close you turn and head for your room. You check your phone again to see you missed Sans’s text. You go into your room and plop down on your bed.

‘well that’s a tough one Paps. sometimes people don’t like talking about things because it can make them extremely uncomfortable. in her case i’m not sure though. what was it that caused everyone to act weird?’

You try to think of how to describe it.

‘She had a large scar that was on her shoulder. If I was to guess maybe a stab wound? She hid it well till when I had to help her get out of a mold that Alphys was making of her body. The others saw it too. When she came back everything was awkward and she seemed reserved and upset. When the others left she insisted that I do too, so I can “hang out with my friends.”’

After another small moment passes of you staring at the ceiling you get a text back from Sans. Before you can open it you get one from Marcy as well.

‘Hey Papyrus, I just wanted to say sorry for the way I was acting. I know you guys saw the scar and I wasn’t sure how to react. I didn’t mean to give the cold shoulder. You remember when you asked what my worst scar was?’

You blink a couple times. _ THE ANSWERS I WAS HOPING FOR… CAN HUMANS READ MINDS? WHY WAS I NOT TOLD OF THIS! _ You quickly text back.

‘You need not apologize Marceline. I am sorry as well! I shouldn’t have been affected like that, but I was just concerned and didn’t know what to say and the others seemed to have felt the same from what I know. And I do remember you saying it a little while back. Is that the one?’ You quickly send to Marcy and then go to read Sans’s text.

‘well Paps it sounds like she is embarrassed by it. the others were probably awkward because they realized she had been through something very bad. i’m just now starting to connect some dots.’

You think for a moment.  _ HE IS COMPLETELY RIGHT… FOR ONCE. _ ‘Well brother you’re not wrong in any way that I know of.’ You quickly send him, hoping that he wont start teasing you.

Marceline texts you back after a while. ‘You don’t need to be sorry either Papyrus, the fault is mostly mine. And yes, that was my worst scar. I was really hoping that you wouldn’t have to see the horrendous thing.’

‘I am truly sorry that you have been through something that has damaged you in any way. I really wish that there was something I could do to help. If there is, please let me know.’

You sigh and get up to start cleaning your room.  _ I SHOULD DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE. _

\----------------------------------------------------------marcy’s.pov--------------------------------------------------

You walk over to Papyrus’s door.  _ Hopefully I’ll be able to leave before he answers the door. _ You set your small gift down on the floor.  _ Oh but what if he doesn’t want a drawing of himself? Or what if he doesn’t want a milkshake? You don’t kn- _ You interrupt yourself by knocking on the door. You quickly turn and walk down the hall and turn the corner. You hear him speak before a small gasp. “THANK YOU WHOEVER YOU ARE!” You hear Papyrus yell.

_ Hopefully he reads the note on the back later… _ You hold your backpack straps tighter.  _ Time to go do stuff. _

You start making your way to the grocery store completely on edge. You feel like you’re being watched the entire time. Even as you make it into town. You looked around and over your shoulders a couple times but never even saw a glimpse of something. You sigh and throw your hood up, lightly thumbing the strings as you let your hang trail down to them. You see the store in sight and start to walk faster. As you enter it feels like the eyes have left. You let yourself relax slightly and grab your phone.

‘Hey goober, think you can be over at my place anytime soon?’

You quickly type to Chris as you grab a cart.

You begin to do your usual shopping, occasionally grabbing extras or different things for Chris. You run into some of the staff and make small chat with them, making sure they have a smile or laugh. After about an aisle or two you get a text back. ‘Hey dorky doo, I can be there in like an hour and a half, I'm almost done for the night, but I have to leave soon after. I have another shift at 10.’

You blink.  _ Holy shit it’s seven already?! _ You internally groan as you start head into the next aisle. Right as you decide that you’ve got enough you get another text. ‘Marcy you didn’t have to get these for me! That was very sweet of you but I already told you that you have nothing to be sorry for! They are very good though! You must tell me where you got them when you can.’

You smile at Papyrus’s text as you get a couple different varieties of pocky for the other two. ‘Well it makes me happy to know you like them. And I made them for you Papyrus. I didn’t know if you would want a drawing of yourself or not. Or if you like milkshakes, but I hope you still like them’ You quickly send back.

You head towards check out. “Oh well hello again Marceline!” You look up at the familiar voice.

You feel your smile grow a little. “Hello Amy! How are you doing today?” You ask politely.

She begins to ring everything up. “Oh same old same old, wish I could go home and sleep right now. What about you? You look like you were crying or haven’t slept in years, which is it?” She prys.

You laugh a little. “Ah well I took a five minute stress nap and woke up feeling like shit, does that count?” You ask her as you watch the price start to grow with every scan.

_ Ah shit… I hope I brought enough money. _ “That makes a little sense. Maybe don’t pass out because of stress? Also, do you want me to put some stuff in your bag again? You have to hand it over if you do.” She says in a snarky way.

You laugh a little again.  _ For someone I barely know she can read me really well. _ You hand your backpack over to her and take your wallet out. You notice that she isn’t putting all the fragile goods in there this time. She catches your gaze and smiles. “I’m guessing that it's gonna rain soon so I thought you would prefer me putting the things that are more easily damaged by it in your backpack.” She informs you in a matter of fact kind of way.

You make a ‘ah’ face of acknowledgement and look outside.  _ It is pretty windy outside… I must have been too deep in thought to notice it. _ You hold back a shutter as you think about how intently you felt like you were being watched.  _ Creepy. _ You sigh a little and look to find that she is almost done. You look at the bill.  _ Lovely…  _ You think bitterly before getting the cash out. You hand her exact change with a smile. She smiles back at you warmly. “I hope you have a good rest of your shift Amy! Tell the others I said hello!” You tell her chipperly as you start grabbing the bags and putting your backpack on.

She gives you a simple wave as you head out. You feel your phone buzz again. ‘I didn’t know you were so talented! I love them both! Thank you so much Marcy!’

\-----------------------------------------------------------Amy’s.pov---------------------------------------------------

_ Ah there she is. _ “Hey Randy.” You lean over to him and bump him with your elbow. “The angel is here again.” You say as you nod your head towards her.

He perks up slightly. “Oh sweet, was having a bit of a shitty week. I hope she’s doing well.” He says while picking up a box. “I’m gonna start putting things on the shelves if you need me.” He tells you as he heads out from the back room.

You head out to one of the cash registers. You watch as she grabs all of the slightly damaged or weird looking good and makes small talk with everyone she sees. When she gets to an aisle alone her facade fades a little.  _ Man she seems a little upset. _ She then checks her phone. She seems to perk up and smile a little. After a little while she heads towards you. “Oh well hello again Marceline!” You say, watching her perk up a little.

She smiles up at you. “Hello Amy! How are you doing today?” You ask while putting things on the belt.

You begin to ring everything up for her. “Oh same old same old, wish I could go home and sleep right now. What about you? You look like you were crying or haven’t slept in years, which is it?” You ask with a little concern.

She gives a small bitter laugh. “Ah well I took a five minute stress nap and woke up feeling like shit, does that count?” She tells you while watching the price.

While she looks away you slip a couple of goods without scanning.  _ This company doesn’t need all that money _ . “That makes a little sense. Maybe don’t pass out because of stress? Also, do you want me to put some stuff in your bag again? You have to hand it over if you do.” You tell her with a sarcastic tone.

She laughs a little again.  _ Damn, Stacy would love you _ . You think as she hands her backpack over to you and takes her wallet out. You smile as you see her watching the way you're packing everything. “I’m guessing that it's gonna rain soon so I thought you would prefer me putting the things that are more easily damaged by it in your backpack.” You tell her as you spare a glance outside.

She gets what you mean and then looks outside. She looks a little shocked and then shutters.  _ Forget that you walked in that? _ She sighs and then looks at the price a little bitterly. She hands you exact change with a smile. You smile back at her warmly. “I hope you have a good rest of your shift Amy! Tell the others I said hello!” She tells her happily as she starts grabbing the bags and putting her backpack on.

  
You wave at her as she heads out.  _ What a nice girl. _ You think as you see a guy in a blue hoodie walk by.


	16. panic part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fun times at the store

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is short! i was taking so long and just got it done as quickly as i could! x~x

The wind starts to blow harder as you make your way home. The sound of it blowing threw the trees making them sound like they might snap.  _ God fucking damn. _ You look up to see a dark gray sky. You turn your head a little to see a wall of gray moving towards you.  _ Fan-FUCKING-tastic.  _ You think bitterly as you pick up your pace to avoid the incoming rain. The feeling of being watched being overpowered by the feeling of stress of getting home and the anger towards the weather.  _ Chris should be at my dorm sooner than me at this rate. _ You think as the wind blows you around more, nearly knocking you over.

You feel your arms shake a little more.  _ So cold already, not even august yet. _ You think back to other times you got caught in the rain so that you can ignore the cold and growing strain in your arms.  _ You and Chris splashing around as younger teens and kicking water at each other, waiting by the bus stop and listening to it fall, running into the house covered in mud and getting yelled at for it, the huge storms that had you shaking, getti- _ You stop your train of thought and shake your head.  _ That's enough of that. Better stop while we're ahead. _ You zone in on the sound of the rain coming in. You look up to see it’s a terrible storm coming in. You gather the grocery’s up and roll your shoulders before you start running.

_ Hopefully nothing busts open… _ You see that you’re nearly there when you feel the pitter patter of rain. You push yourself to run a little harder even though the extra weight is slowing you down majorly. You start getting a stabbing feeling in your side.  _ FUCK EVERYTHING TODAY. _ You rush inside the building and stop to take a breather. As you lean on the wall, breathing heavily, you let your mind calm down. The feeling of someone else watching you slowly resurfaces, making your breath harder and harder to catch.  _ Am I going crazy?! _ After you stand up you hear someone else coming in through the doors. You quickly turn to see no one there. Your hair on your arms stands on end as you quickly start running to your dorm room.  _ Nope nope nope. No. No thanks. No spoopy for me today. _ You wiggle a hand free to grab your keys and quickly unlock your door. You open the door quickly and slam it shut before locking it again.

You let out a loud sigh. A hand grabs your shoulder making you shriek and spin around. The hand is removed “Woah! Woah! Chill Vampy it's me! I let myself in just a bit ago.” You hear Chris say mildly panicked.

His face is one of startled concern, making you feel dumb. “O-oh hey bro, whats up?” You ask in a forced nonchalant tone and a smile.

His face grows more annoyed. “No. Don’t you pull that act on me, what's up?” He asks, using his big brother voice and crossing his arms.

You sigh. “Can I put the groceries away first?” You ask as you raise your arms to show that you have stuff that needs to be put away. He holds out a hand and you hands him the ones in your arms with a smile when his arms dip a little due to the weight. “Got enough time for some colors? I’ll talk about it if you let me.” You say, trying to bribe him.

You slowly take your backpack off and your damp coat, and then walk to the kitchen with him. He laughs a little. “Of course I do, made sure to get here early just for that.” He tells you as he looks at some of the things you got weirdly. “Why so much pocky? You were never a huge fan of that stuff.” He asks you while looking at the many different flavors.

You go to speak when you hear a panicked knock on the door. Your own panic spikes again. You and Chris share a glance. You set your bag by the fridge and walk over. You look through the peephole to see a certain panicked skeleton. You open the door a little fast. “Hello Papyrus! What's wrong?” You ask him as you stop Sole from running out.

A bit of anxiety itching in your chest. You scratch under Sole’s chin to calm yourself down. He visibly calms down after you started speaking. “AH I AM SORRY. I HEARD YOU YELL AND I CAME OVER AS SOON AS I COULD. I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN TROUBLE.” He tells you while looking away mildly embarrassed. “YOU SEEM FINE THOUGH.” He finishes before going to turn.

Now it's your turn to panic again. “Oh! Thank you Papyrus! I’m glad that you came to check on me. I’m not hurt or anything. Would you like to come in? Chris is here too!” You tell him as happily as you could while trying, and failing, not to rush your words.

He seems to brighten as well.  _ Ah… yes. I forgot that the last time I saw him wasn’t really the best note to leave off on… _ He turns full towards you. “AH WHILE I WOULD LOVE THAT ALPHYS, SANS, AND I ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT SOMETHING FOR UNDYNE'S BIRTHDAY AND TRYING TO GET ANOTHER FRIEND OF OURS TO ANSWER THE PHONE! I’LL HAVE TO CATCH HIM LATER. BUT I’LL SEE YOU TOMORROW RIGHT?” He asks a little hesitantly.

Your real smile breaks through a little. “Of course Papyrus! I would never miss our walks to class! I’ll see you tomorrow!” You say to him with a little wave. He smiles fully as well and goes to leave again. “OH! Wait! I’m sorry! You said Alphys was over there right? Could you give this to her and tell her that it's for her and Undyne pretty please?” You ask him before turning to put all the pocky in one bag.

You quickly run back and show him the bag. “NYEH HEH HEH! OF COURSE I CAN! YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON ME!” He tells you before taking the bag and waving goodbye to you.

You wave back and close the door behind you. You walk back into the kitchen and see Chris eyeing you weirdly. “Hey you already asked a question. You don’t get two.” You tell him in a sarcastic voice.

He snorts at you while shaking his head. “Well miss sassy pants I was going to say that you still have a dramatic cat on your shoulders. But ok.” And then he just goes back to putting things away.

You go to help him and then start to put some of the food in different bags or moving bags to the side. After you’re both done you give each other a short nod. “You brought your cooler this time right? I don’t want you blaming me again because your ice cream melted.” Your inner snarkiness comes out as you go to find your markers.

You hear him laugh from the kitchen.  _ Ah did I put them where they actually go? Wow! _ You grab them from your bookshelf that barely has any books on it. You walk back out to see him grabbing the hard lemonades from the fridge. You catch his eyes and see him give you a smile as slick as oil and then wiggles his eyebrows at you. “You still have to drive, sir. I don’t think you need all of those.” You tell him as you go to sit down on the couch.

He walks over to you and sits with you and hands you an open one. You give him a questioning look. “Well unless you want me to drink all twelve of these by myself, then you better drink with me.” He tells you before leaning back and taking a sip of his.

You sigh and grab the drink. “You’re an ass, you know that? Now give me your damn arm.” You demand as you take a swig of your drink to keep ahead.

He laughs and flops his arm in your lap. “Yeah yeah I know. But you looove me, so you have to deal with it.” He tells you in a teasing way.

You grab his arm with and start to color the shaded trees on this arm.  _ I think he is definitely going to get little pink fairy dots this time. _ You think to yourself as you look to see the roses at the top of his arms. You look closer at the stems to see that they were the words of advice that grandma had given him. You smile a little at how corny he is sometimes. “Hey, dipwad, are you gonna spill the beans or do I need to wrestle it out of you?” He asks you while flexing his arm.

You laugh, nearly messing up the drawing. “Ah yes yes, I almost forgot. And no, you don’t, we both know you’d lose.” You tell him as you take another swig of the drink to stay ahead.

And like you promised, you tell him everything that happened today. From your period and running from Chris and his goons to the awkwardness you made and feeling like you were being followed. He stays weirdly quiet the whole time and just watches you and what you're doing. The only real sound he made the whole time was a grunt when you picked up the metallic pink to put fairies on him. After you finish talking you realize how much detail you did.  _ OOO I’m so taking a picture this time. _ You quickly grab your phone and start to take pictures. You also realize that you're a little more than buzzed after drinking nearly five of those drinks. You internally sigh.  _ Of all the things that prick could give me in his genes he left out high alcohol tolerance. _ You think bitterly.

You put all your markers away and make a mental note to organise them later. He sits up and downs the rest of his  _ one, two, three?! He only had three? Why did he give me so many?! _ You just sigh. “But yeah. That's been my oh so eventful day.” You tell him while shrugging. You check the time and jump up. “Oh shit! Chris you gotta leave like ten minutes ago! I can help you get the groceries to your car! Come on.” You then make a wobbly run to the kitchen.

He follows you, still silent and grabs the bags with you. You both hurry out the door, nearly slamming it shut and head to his car. You see Papyrus saying goodbye to Alphys while you and Chris are running out the door with arms full of bags. One of them calls out to you but you’re too focused and muddy minded to respond. You stop at the door and sigh. The storm was really kicking out there.  _ I should have left my coat on… _ You think as you look down at your shirt.  _ Fuck. _ Chris kicks the door open with a laugh and runs outside. “Come on you wimp!” He yells while B-lining it to his car.

You sigh and follow him as well as you can. Now on a good day you were a decent runner. On a good day that is. Running in pouring rain and strong winds, drunk, and holding heavy food makes it just a ‘little’ harder. You stumble a couple times here and there but make it to his car irregardless. He is already putting groceries in the back seats when you catch up to him. He grabs everything you have and more or less throws them in neatly. He slams the car door closed. “Well looks like i’ll be eating well for a while now.” He tells you with a large smile. His coat and jeans were soaked. He grabs you and picks you up into a big bear hug. “I’m sorry you’ve been having a shit day Vampy. Call me if that little shit bugs you again. I love you even though you're a huge dork.” He quickly tells you before dropping you on your feet. “Now get inside! You’ll catch a cold at this rate you drunkard!” He pokes you in the nose and moves to get in his car.

You grab onto him and hug him back. “Try to eat well you emo jackass. I hope you do well at work today!” You let go of him and give him a small push. “Now get going or you’ll be more late. Don’t speed too much!” You tell him as he gets in his car.

You both wave at each other as he starts the engine. The old thing groans before starting. You laugh a little and then turn to get back inside. You make your way to the door when you hear him drive by and honk widely at you. You turn and laugh at him making a stupid face at you and then speed off. You go inside and get blasted by Ac.  _ Why is it always so cold in here… _ You immediately start shivering. You look up to see Alphys walking your way with the bag of pocky and an umbrella in hand. “Careful, windy out there. Might blow your umbrella away.” You tell her a little awkwardly.

You start to make your way to your dorm when she looks up at you with wide eyes. “M-marcy! You're drenched!” Is all she manages to get out.

You look down at yourself and laugh a little. “Eh, I would say I'm more extremely soaked.” You, poorly, try to joke. “A-anyway, I’m sorry about making things awkward, Alphys. I’m not sure if you like pocky or not but I thought you mentioned it once. Tell Undyne I’m sorry too please, if it’s not too much trouble.” You tell her before turning and making your way to your dorm again.

After a couple steps you hear her running up to you. You turn to only be stopped half way by her hugging you. You jump a little when she does. “Y-you don’t need t-to be sorry at all. We all played a role in that. And me and Undyne will enjoy all of these.” She lets go of you. “T-thank you so m-much!” She tells you before turning to go outside.

You smile a little to yourself and head back to your dorm.  _ There are drinks that need to be finished! _ You think to yourself as you grow even colder.  _ Maybe a ibuprofen too… the cold is not making my cramps any easier to deal with… _ You start to plan what to do with the rest of your night as you walk into the dorm. You go to your room and start to get changed and probably take a shower.

\------------------------------------------------------------Sans.pov----------------------------------------------------

You teleport to the store to pick up a couple things for your stay with Papyrus this week. You grab your list and make your way in. You let out a small sigh as you're already being glared at by one guy. You grab a basket and make your rounds, nearly filling the whole basket with ketchup. When you're finally done you go to the self scan checkouts and walk out with all your stuff. Just as you make your way out of the store you see Marceline walking your way looking completely on edge. You teleport away to avoid anything awkward, but still so that you can still see her. Just as she enters the store you see someone with their hood up walk out from the bushed area and quickly run to the side of the building.  _ what the hell?  _ You hunch down a little so that he doesn’t see you. He is wearing black pants, shoes, and hoodie.

_Who’s this dip shit?_ You decide to _check_ him. **Colin Davenport. Atk. 15 Def. 5 Lv. 2 Hp. 25 Is up to no good.** _oh. it’s him._ You take a small breath to keep your eye from glowing. You and Colin sit there, both watching for something to happen. As soon as marcy walks out you see that she is carrying a comically large amount of bags. After she walks for a moment he starts to follow her from the bushes again. You walk across to be on the same side of the sidewalk as her. _for a stalker he is terrible at telling he is being stalked._ You follow a little behind him. You watch as she realizes the incoming storm that was on the news and gathers up her bags before taking off running. He gives chase, holding something in his hands. Running alongside them both you sooner realize what he has. _a knife… SHIT._ You watch as she runs into the building and he stops dead in his tracks a decent amount before the doors.

She stops and leans on the wall.  _ probably catching her breath. _ Your eye catches him slowly moving towards her.  _ ah crap! _ You use your magic to slam the doors open.  _ please notice him and run! _ You plead in your mind at her. She quickly turns to look at the door, fear growing in her eyes before she turns and runs. He takes a couple steps to her but then turns around and rips his hood off.  _ what the hell man. _ You quickly then teleport, to avoid the rain, into Papyrus’s kitchen, the smell of dinner fills your nasal cavity. You quickly start to unpack everything. You hear someone enter the kitchen. You look over your shoulder to see that Paps walked in. “BROTHER? WHAT TOO-” Paps is cut off by a shrill scream that makes your soul drop. “BROTHER WATCH THE FOOD.” Papyrus asks before turning without your response.

  
_ but i watched him leave… _ You walk over to watch the boiling pot of noodles. You hear Papyrus talking to Alphys in the hall before continuing running to her door.  _ how would he have gotten in? her window? _ You don’t hear anything else for a little while, making your soul race. After a couple more moments you see Papyrus walking in with a smile. “ALPHYS, MARCY TOLD ME TO GIVE THESE TO YOU AND UNDYNE.” He hands her a bag that is full of small boxes. She lets out a small squee sound. Papyrus comes back to check out how well you watched his noodles. “SHE IS OK, HER BROTHER IS WITH HER. I SUSPECT THAT HE SCARED HER WHEN SHE GOT HOME.” Papyrus tells you much more at ease.


	17. Panic part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha. angst. but fluffy too. ... with words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some mild triggering things my dudes

You groggily wake up from your impromptu nap on the floor. You prop your head up on your hand, only to get a huge glob of drool on it. “Eew...” Is all you manage to croak out.

You let out a small groan as you slowly get up.  _ I completely forgot the pain killers. _ You flop over on your side.  _ Fuck it. I don’t need anything. _ Is what you immediately take back as soon as the cramps get worse.  _ You win… _ You get up slowly and make your way to the kitchen. Sole circles your legs meowing loudly and looking up at you. “I’ll feed you in a second darling. Your Mum is just being a ball of agony at the moment.” You tell him as you swallow the pills dry.

You glance out the window to see nothing but pitch blackness.  _ Man what time is it?! It’s dark outside already. _ Grabbing your phone from your pocket you dramatically sigh. “I’m so sorry Bub… and my sleep schedule.”  _ 11 at night. _

You grab the bag of cat food from the cabinet and pour it into his bowl.  _ I’m such a bad cat mom… _ Is the last thing you think before stripping down to just your underwear and going to sleep. The second you flop onto the world fades away into nothingness.

\---

_ You stop running. _

_ You can barely breath. _

_ It hurts. _

_...it hurts. _

_ You fall on the pavement in the alley.  _ Oh god. Why. _ You try to pick yourself back up as quickly as you can.  _ I-i need to get away. _ You try to push yourself up but your left shoulder gives out. “GAAH.”  _

_ You landed right on it.  _ Maybe I should just stay here till I catch my breath… _ You roll over on your back and painstakingly slowly sit up. You hiss in pain as you drag yourself to sit against the wall of the alley. “Ow ow ow ow.” You say under your breath. _

_ When you're fully leaning back you let out a small sigh. Tears start to freely roll down your face. A couple tears turn into a stream, and a stream into a body raking sob. Your body already hurts, but the more you cry and shake the more you feel it start to ache. “M-m-moooom…” You cry out. _

_You blindly start to wipe your tears. The sound of you crying and gasping is all that fills the empty streets. You left the house so late at night. And now you're in an alley, bleeding heavily, alone._ I’m alone… _The realization hits you like a tidal wave._ _There's no one in sight._ I-I don’t know where the nearest hospital is! A-and I can’t call the cops… I-i don’t have a phone… _You curl up in yourself further. You feel exhaustion starting to hit the corners of your mind._ N-No. I’ll walk all night if I have to. _You think as you force yourself up. Your shoulder is screaming in pain._ How could he do something like that. I knew he was awful but… oh god… _remembering what happened not even an hour ago bashes around in your head, taking your legs out from under you._

_ The pit feeling in your gut grows tenfold. You don’t even realize that it started to drizzle as the exhaustion steals you from reality. _

_ You wake up suddenly to the sounds of a car door slamming. You jump and look around to see that it was morning already.  _ How long was I asleep for?! _ You see someone coming close. You turn your back and huddle into yourself, hoping that you just look like a lump of trash.  _ Why am I so c- _ “Hey, get out of the way kid. You're in my alleyway and you're in my way.” A rough voice speaks to you. You jump and look up to see an older man staring at you. You apparently didn’t move soon enough to his liking. He grabs you by the scruff and drags you out of the alley. “Go home.” He commands. _

_ You take less than a second to get to your feet and realize that there are people walking about. _

_ \--- _

You wake up to Sole hissing. “Whaa?” You grumble to yourself.

He growls loudly, making you jump a little. _ He has never done that before. _ You look around for him, but don’t see him anywhere in your room. Your heart starts racing.  _ What is he yelling at? _ You quickly slip on a long shirt and walk out, following the walls, looking everywhere. Every nerve is on end, you already have started to shake. The sound of your heart beating pounding in your ears nearly drowns Sole out. Nothing in the bathroom and nothing in the kitchen from what you can see. You catch a glimpse of orange by the door and feel your heart jump out of fear that he is by the door and joy that he’s ok. You creep to the kitchen as quietly as you can to grab a knife.

Once you have it in your hands you walk back to your terrible hiding spot by the bathroom door. You take one more good look around before getting closer to the door. As you do you hear what sounds like the handle jiggling.  _ What the fuck?! _ You check through the peephole to see someone in a black hoodie. You sit there watching them for what feels like forever and seconds at the same time. You take a small breath and draw as much courage you can.  _ Oh god. Ohgodohgodohgod- _ You grab the handle to the door firmly. “H-hello?” Is all you manage to squeak out.

You mental hate yourself for how weak that sounded. The person stops what they are doing and mumble something before standing up, facing away from the door. You try to think of something to say. “Wh-”

_ SLAM. _ You jump, dropping the knife, but keep your mouth shut.  _ SLAM _ . You jump a little less hard.  _ What the fuck are they doing?! _ “LET ME IN YOU SLUNT* BAG!” You hear him demand.

(cunt+slut*)

_ I-is that Colin?! _ You take a step away from the door, a chill running down your spine. He continues to pound on the door. The longer it goes on the more scared you get, a couple stray tears fall from your face. You hear someone yell and sets of running footsteps. You hesitate, but go back to the door, shaking.  _ Why is it getting harder to breathe… _ You look through the peephole again to see one of the guards running after him. You let your breath out and rest your head on the door.  _ Why can’t I catch a break this week… _ You lift your head and go to turn away, but a knock on the door pulls your attention that way. You look through the peephole again and see a very tired looking Rhodny. You take as deep of a breath as you can to calm yourself down for him. You then slowly open the door.

He quickly pulls a smile to his face. “I’m sorry to bother you Marceline, I just came to check on you. Are you alright?” He asks, sounds so tired and so concerned.

You give him your best smile. ...It probably looks awful. You run a hand through your hair and sigh. “Y-yeah. Little shaken, but I'm fine. You should probably get to sleep though, you look tired.” You tell him as you rub the side of your arm for some form of comfort.

He laughs a little. “You're one to talk. But don’t worry about me, I sleep all day when I can.” He tells you with a wink.

Your smile brightens slightly. “Well if you sleep all day, then I must be really lucky since you're always here to my rescue.” You joke back at him.

He smiles a little brighter too. “Oh well that's the best part of my job. Speaking of which, I now have to do. Hopefully this is the last of that kid.” He sighs out as he turns to leave, messing with his hat as he does.

You close your door quietly.  _ God what a night… _ You think as you feel a slight breeze from behind you.  _ Did the AC kick on? _ You shrug and go to lock the door. You feel the weight of everything that’s happened today start to weigh down on you. Tears start to fill your eyes. Sole rubs against your heels purring until a knock makes him jump.  _ Oh what now. _ You walk over to your door and look through the peephole again.  _ Sans? _ You unlock the door and open it.  _ Oh crap. I hope I didn’t wake him and Papyrus up… _ “Hey Sans, whats up?” You ask nervously.

He has the same smile on that he normally does. But his eye lights seem smaller, more focused. “hey shorty, heard some yelling and just came t’ make sure you ’s okay.” He tells you while looking around.

Dark bags were under his eyes.  _ Shit. _ “O-oh yeah. Sorry about that man. I’m sure it won't happen again. I’m sorry if that woke you guys up…” You apologise sheepishly while holding your shoulder.

_ Please leave soon so I can cry and fall asleep… _ He scratches his chin a little. “don’t worry about it. paps normally sleeps like a rock unless you move him. ya mind if i ask what happened?” He asks you with concern.

You try to keep yourself from curling in on yourself.  _ All you do is concern others. _ “J-just another run in with Colin. N-nothing worth worrying about.” You tell him as you fiddle with your hands.

His eye lights go a little fuzzier and a little bigger.  _ Wonder why they keep changing shape… _ “kid, that is definitely something to worry about. guys crazy or something. glad you're ok though. g’night.” He tells you with a yawn.

You wait a moment before closing the door and locking it.  _ Fuck it. _ You slump to the floor and just let the tears fall. You gasp for air greedily as snot and tears run down your face.  _ God i’m such a fucking asshole for waking them up. I know Papyrus is gonna ask if Sans tells him and that dipshit Colin is going to get away scot free and wake everyone up again. _ You grip the top of your head, nails digging in.  _ A-and why did I have to dream about that. _

Your thoughts slowly start building up more and more and more.  _ God they must all hate your for how you acted. What if he got in!? You’re a terrible person. You deserve whats happen to you. They don’t really like you. They’ll leave. He’s going to get you. The only people that can help are too far. They think you hate them. You're a terrible person. You have to visit Dad soon. You're going to fail. You’re alone. It’s your fault. Dad was right. _ You cough a couple times as you gasp for air. Sole was meowing loudly at you.  _ When was he doing that? _ You manage a shuttery breath.

You reach out to him and he crawls into your lap. You try your best to wipe your nose before you hug him to you as close as you can. You feel a small trickle down your head.  _ What? _ You tap the back of your hand to it.  _ Blood. _ You try to keep yourself from shaking more.  _ Clung to hard again… _ You take a couple more moments to yourself before standing up slowly.  _ Should shower, need to look decent for work and school tomorrow… Today? _ You sigh and go to hop into the shower.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You wake up to your alarm screeching.  _ Oh god noo. _ You think mournfully.  _ I’m not ready to pretend to be alive yet… _ You slowly get up, rubbing your face a little to wake you up more. You let out a large sigh before getting up to put some clothes on.  _ Slightly too big hoodie here I come. _ You think to yourself before slipping on a white shirt and your big red hoodie. You decide on normal blue jeans and some white shoes before making your way to the bathroom. As you walk out of your room you see Papyrus sitting on your couch. Not that it was an uncommon sight, he never did so quietly.

You shrug and grumble a small good morning to him. He turns to you quickly. “OH! GOOD MORNING MARCY! HOW ARE YOU THIS MORNING?” He asks enthusiastically.

You yawn and give him a small thumbs up before heading to the bathroom. You do all the things that you need to do, including putting makeup under your eyes to hide your bags, and then step out to the living room. You see that he has already gotten you a glass of water. You stare at it a little longer with distaste before looking at him with a small smile. He smiles back happily. “How are you today Papyrus?” You ask as you watch him play with his sleeve.

He had on an orange and pink flannel and a white shirt with a cute little skeleton skull on his pocket. He also had jeans and black shoes on.  _ Cute. _ You think warmly. “I AM DOING WELL! ALTHOUGH I AM A BIT WORRIED, I HEARD THAT COLIN WAS AT YOUR DOOR LAST NIGHT. ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU ARE OK?” He asks while he hands you the cup and pats the couch spot next to him.

You sigh slightly but take a seat and the drink. You gulp it down as quickly as you can before putting it down gently. “Yeah, i’m fine Papy, just a little tired. Are you ready to go?” You ask him pleasantly.

He gives you a look before standing up and holding his hand out to you. “OF COURSE I AM! WHENEVER YOU WANT TO LEAVE!” He tells you, waiting for you.

You smile at the gesture and take his hand. He lifts you up off the couch gently. After you grab a couple things you both leave your dorm. As you both leave the building you make small chit chat about random things, from how the storm was raging yesterday and how it’s coming again today, to Undyne's birthday. While discussing the last topic something seems to click in Papyrus’s mind. “MARCY? WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? I DON’T THINK YOU’VE EVER TOLD ME.”

_ Fucking hell. _ “U-uh want to take a guess?” You ask sheepishly.

You always hated your birthday, it was either straight up awful, something went wrong, forgotten, etc.  _ Please don’t guess right… _ “THE TWENTY FIRST OF MAY?” He asks excitedly, because of this new ‘game’. You shake your head no as you look to see you were almost to class.  _ Oh thank god. _ “UM… THEEE TENTH OF OCTOBER.” He asks while looking deep in thought.

You jump a little when he says tenth. You shake your head no and stop by him right by your usual parting place. “I’ll give you one more guess before class.” You tell him while grabbing your brownie for Maria and moving your drink to the top of the bag.

He seems to be thinking even harder. “HMM… FEBRUARY… THE FIRST?” He questions, sounding less sure of himself.

You give him a small smile before nodding no and walking into class. You see Maria and John having a  _ very  _ passionate kiss.  _ Uh…  _ “U-um…” You turn around, beat red. “I brought you guys brownies, I’ll just leave them at the door!” You briskly walk out, still red as a tomato.

_ I’m so glad that this isn’t my first class today.  _ You for once are grateful to be taking business in the morning.  _ Thank god Mr. McConald is back.  _ You quickly make your way to the building next door.  _ Hopefully he doesn’t assign any group projects. _ You mentally pray to no one. You walk into the class and take your usual seat in one of the corner. You quickly take out your computer for notes and your drink. You let out a small sigh and push your hair back. You watch as people start to quickly come in. More monsters than the last time there was class. You make a point to smile at as many as you can, many of them smile back at you. After the rush has passed you take a sip of your monster and lay your forehead on the table. “hOi!!1! aM teMMie! cAn siT hERe?” A small cat dog looking thing, with short straight black hair, asks you while pointing at the seat next to you.

You smile warmly at them. “Of course! It’s nice to meet you temmie, I’m Marceline.” You tell them as you pull the chair out for them.

They hop up on the chair and take out a notebook that looks like complete gibberish with a bright smile on their face. Mr. McConald walks in the door and the classroom goes silent. He looks pleased. “Good morning everyone. I am sorry for my absence this week, I had things that needed my attention. Now some of you have noticed new students. If I see anything or hear anything that seems like racist nonsense then I will kick you out of my class before you can say ‘i’m sorry’. Understood?” He asks the entire class while grabbing his clicker for the slide show.

The class nods to show him they understand. He starts to talk about things from a couple weeks ago to refresh and told the class that he would be doing after school tutoring for a little while. Temmie looks incredibly confused by her own handwriting. You start taking pictures of your own note. After he had droned on for a while, he let you all out a little early. You tap a very distressed looking Temmie on the head. She twirls around to look at you. You hand her a piece of paper with your g-mail and phone number on it. “I saw that you were struggling with the notes, If you ever need any help just let me know, i’ll send you the notes anytime!” You tell them chipperly.

Their eyes go wide. “Oh thaNk yOoU MArceLiNE! i dO nEEd heLP, bUt I StaY aFtER. MIght nEd lATer. mUch tHaNK!” They tell you excitedly, smiling even harder now.

You grab a brownie from your bag and walk up to Mr. McConald’s desk to place it there. You tap him on the shoulder and then walk away with the rest of the crowd. You manage to get to the cafeteria and get some decent food.  _ Sweet! _ You wait by the doors for Papyrus and Alphys to come. After a couple minutes you see both of them walking in and to your surprise Sans and Undyne as well. You wave to get their attention. They make their way over to you. “YOU HAVE BEATEN US TODAY! HOW? MY CLASS ALWAYS GETS OUT FIRST AND ALPHYS’S COMES FROM HER DORM!” Papyrus asks you, baffled.

You smile up at him. “Well it seems you just keep getting more and more secrets lately.” You joke as you all move to walk out to the spot.  _ Oh I hope that there is enough room… Might have to sit on the tree again. _ “So have you guys told the other two about the spot?” You ask while walking in a small group together.

You look to see that they were all wearing cute outfits today. Undyne had a thin black turtleneck with no sleeves and jeans with grey combat boots, Alphys was wearing a shorter black skirt and flats with a light blue blouse, Sans was wearing a grey beanie and shoes with his usual blue hoodie and shorts. You couldn’t tell what shirt though since he had it zipped.  _ Man I must look like trash. … Wait, I always look like that. Puke then. _ You're drawn out of your thoughts by Papyrus’s answer. “NO, I WANTED TO SEE IF UNDYNE OR SANS COULD GUESS THE PUZZLE YOU MADE!” He states proudly. “I THOUGHT WE COULD GO IN GROUPS TO SEE WHO UNDERSTANDS IT BETTER!” He tells you challengingly. 

_ Oh lord. _ You have learned very quickly that Papyrus was extremely competitive at times, and Undyne was even more so.  _ Learning that didn’t take much time, she has an aura of it at times. _ “Oh good idea man! What are the teams?” You ask while you all make it to the start of the ‘puzzle’.

_ Wonder if the other two will like the spot. _ You ponder as Papyrus seems to think it over. “Well t-that's kind of a problem s-since only M-marcy knows th-the path really well. A-and th-there are five of u-us.” Alphys pipes in.

You take a sip from your drink after Papyrus turns to look at her and then tuck it away quickly before he turns back around. Sans raises an eyebrow at you. You pretend not to notice. You hear Undyne and Papyrus poorly whispering to one another as you decide to watch as the clouds roll by.  _ Probably going to rain within the hour. _ “Ok listen up! We have our plan! Tall versus small! And sorry to say punk, but you're a shorty, so you're on their team.” Undyne tells you tauntingly.

You go to puff up and say your average height for girls your age, but you know you're wrong. You are just under. You take a couple steps back to join the other two. “Ok, but you can’t tell her the trick Papyrus, or lead her through the path. Deal?” You ask as you put your hand out.

He shakes it with joy. “Your” “ON!” They both say at the same time.

Your smile grows more. They both take off, booking and shouting about how we were going to lose. “Come on guys!” You say chipperly and walking behind the other two that raced off.

They share a look but follow. “I-i th-thought you said t-that leading was out?” Alphys asks.

You smile at her. “Yes and no. I said no leading through the path. Not anything about the shortcut.” You tell her slyly. “Although watch out for more things in the way. Lots of blackberry bushes.” You tell them as you suddenly take a turn that was a straight shot to the tree.

They follow behind you closely. “Why d-didn’t you make th-this the path t-then?” She asked curiously.

You catch her looking for the colored strings. “Too obvious. I didn’t want anyone who I didn’t want to know about this. Also the strings are lower here. Check the bushes. Same meaning for the others but pink means blackberry bush or maybe flowers.” You explain as you all walk mostly leisurely.

You all chat for a while, pointing out that the tree is in sight. You hear the other two are still a little while back. You let them walk ahead as you go to get the picnic blanket for them. You grab the smaller one that was tucked under it.  _ More space is good. _ You set everything and sit down with the other too.  _ Thank god I have a while before my next class. _ You take another sip of your drink. “hey kid, why do you hide your drink from paps?” Sans asks you, eyeing your Monster. “ are you ‘fraid that he doesn’t like those kinds of monsters?” He jokes.

You laugh a little. “Let’s just say it’s one of the many diet habits that he doesn’t like. Not that he  _ can _ convince me to change my ways.” You jake back at him. You get a small chuckle out of him and a disapproving look from Alphys. “Although I'm afraid that Alphys agrees.” You joke again, trying to get a smile out of her.

She almost cracks, but keeps her stern face. “ _ tin _ lets see why. must be good if alphys agrees.” Sans says and reaches his hand out. “may i?” He asks while staring at the can.

You hand it over so he can read it. You bite into your sandwich and turn your head to see Papyrus and Undyne running through excitedly. They then spot you all and the look falls. “How the HECK did you beat us?!” Undyne asks, baffled.

They both walk over and sit down with you guys, Undyne and Alphys sitting together on the small blanket.  _ Hehehe cootie corner. _ You smile to yourself. “Well you both wanted to race, did you expect me to go easy on you?” You ask as you glance at Sans who has pulled his phone out.

His face looks blank.  _ Eh better then upset. _ “Of course not! To go easy on us would be an insult!” Undyne nearly roars in offense.

Alphys calms her down with a smile. You laugh a little. You all fall into decent chit chat before Sans catches your eyes with a slightly disgruntled look. You tilt your head slightly. He sighs and hands you the Monster back.  _...right in front of Papyrus’s face… Shit. _ “paps and al were right. ‘s not good for you.” He tells you with a shit eating grin.

_ Asshole. _ You swipe it away and smile nervously at Papyrus. He looks absolutely upset. “Marceline. WHAT IS THAT?! NO. GIVE ME THAT TERRIBLE DRINK RIGHT NOW.” Papyrus quickly demands at you. He jumps up and you do the same.

You both stand there staring at each other for a moment, and for the first time in a while you're intimidated by his size advantage. “P-papyrus, I'm an adult. I can choose what I drink.” You tell him warningly.

This earns a couple snickers from everyone. “heh, good luck with that.” Sans has the audacity to say.

You shoot him a look and his smile grows. When you look back Papyrus was really close to you. He had thrown himself at you. You made a weird squeaking yell and duck away from him. You take a small breath, your dream from last night bubbles slightly, but you push it away.  _ This is fun. You're not getting hurt. _ Papyrus turns around, mildly surprised. Undyne whistles, sounding impressed. You watch as he takes a couple steps forward. You take a small step closer, which makes him squint at you and stop. You then run towards him, startling him. He rushes at you as well. You quickly jump around him and then run to the tree, climbing up as quickly as you can. Papyrus turns around and walks over. His head reaches your legs. “MARCELINE.” He calls you warningly.

You open the top and look him in the eyes. “MARCELINE, NO.” Is all he says before you try to chug the rest. “NOOO!” He yells out.

He swipes at you and grabs the drink. You both spill it all over your hoodie. You ignore the idea of how much you like this hoodie.  _ Well at least I drank most of it. But dear lord i’m going to fucking regret that in a bit. _ You watch as he realizes this and turns to frown at you. As soon as he does he then looks at your hoodie. “OH NO! I DIDN’T MEAN TO GET THIS NASTINESS ON YOUR COAT!” Papyrus quickly explains.

You laugh. “It’s ok Papyrus, we were just goofing off. I can just run home real quick and change, my next class isn’t for another thirty minutes.” You explain to him as you sit down on the tree limb.

You take your hoodie off, throwing it on the branch, while grabbing some fast food napkins that you keep in your bag. You now hear Undyne full blown laughing. You lean over slightly to see hitting the ground. You look to the others to see a light blush on their faces, except for Papyrus who doesn’t seem to understand what is wrong. You look around, nothing. You look down at yourself.  _ White shirt. Liquid. Kinda lacey black bra… fuck. _ You turn as red as a tomato and try to grab your hoodie in a panic. Unluckily for you it was just out of reach. You grumble a couple times and shove the napkins into your bra and flop on the branch.

_ Ow. _ You already start to feel the chill from the day. After everyone had calmed down the chatter soon started to flow. After a little while Alphys says that she has to go to class, and soon after Undyne says that she must escort precious cargo. So it’s left to you and the skeleton brothers.  _ I can feel the monster sticking to my skin… Time to go. _ “I think I’m going to head to my dorm real quick. I can feel this starting to dry and it isn’t ideal…” You explain to the both of them as you gather your things together.

  
_ And I'm totally getting another monster. _ Papyrus starts to clean up and Sans neatly folds the blankets. You take the wad of napkins in your chest, cram them into your pants pocket, sling your bag back on, and then cram your hoodie in a way so that it doesn’t get stickiness on anything. After you get everything together you start to shimmy your way down the tree.  _ Hopefully I can hide from him and not have Sans out me again.  _ You think bitterly. Once everyone is collected you start to walk the real path out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year everyone! seems to be going sooooo well... ha. I hope it has been good for you irregardless!


	18. Panic part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> final of panic  
> Lots o shit goes down. ...I'm sorry. Also mild trigger warning. chasing, panic attacks, lots of cussing, more bad things. sorry...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long! But I stayed up later to make it long to compensate, lot of stuff went down in my life and had to take care of it. Probably wont happen again. ... heh... enjoy!

You grab a washcloth and start to scrub the stickiness off of your chest. _Great. My poor clothes._ You toss them into the laundry basket in your room and walk around looking for a whole new set of upper clothes. You sigh. _Gotta being something_ top _notch._ You hum at your pun, both pleased and annoyed. _Sans non stop punning is rubbing off on me. I’m supposed to be mad at him…_ You settle on a light grey knitted sweater that Gram Gram gave you and your work shirt under it. You sigh, knowing that it's going to rain at any moment. You dig around for a moment till you find your bigger umbrella. You walk out to the living room to see the boys watching your cat sleep on the couch. _Goofballs._

You walk over and see that he is napping like a pretzel in a twister. You breath a laugh at the sights if it. “I’m about to head out to my next class, you're both free to chill here if you want, Papyrus knows the general rules so I expect you’ll keep Sans in check for me, ok?” You ask Papyrus jokingly as you head into your kitchen.

You hear him laugh and Sans groan. “NYEH HEH! YOU CAN COUNT ON ME TO DO THAT MY FRIEND!” He calls out to you as you grab some chips.

You can already feel yourself getting anxious and twitchy from downing half of the energy drink. _Probably don’t need another. ...probably._ After putting food in Sole’s bowl and watching him perk up and run over from the couch, you say your goodbyes and goodbye puns and leave.

\------------------------------------------------------------Sans.pov---------------------------------------------------

She left the dorm. As soon as she does and Papyrus is done groaning about our puns he quickly starts saying the ‘rules’ that your sure have never been said before. “RULE ONE! PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF. RULE TWO. DON’T BE A JERK! RULE THREE. STAY OUT OF HER ROOM UNLESS SHE SAYS IT’S OK. RULE FOUR. SOLE IS NOT ALOUD IN THE KITCHEN. AND LASTLY, NO THROWING AWAY HER JUNK FOOD. SHE IS VERY INSISTENT ON THAT RULE.” Papyrus tells you, breaking his seriousness with a scowl and dramatic voice. ( _well dramatic for papyrus.)_

You chuckle lowly to yourself. “speaking from experience, bro?” You ask as you look at a notebook shoved under the small coushand chair.

You hum in response to Papyrus very quickly explaining why he was doing that and how unhealthy she is sometimes. You lean down and reach over to find that it wasn’t a notebook. _is it a sketchbook? she draws?_ You open it as you hear Papyrus start to turn it into a lecture about how both of you are unhealthy. You open it up to find that the first sketch is of an elderly human woman sitting in a wheelchair surrounded by flowers. You make a ketchup pun as Papyrus drones on about how bad it is. _It’s like a disney movie artstyle mixed with anime. It’s amazing._ You flip to the next page to see it’s a more detailed drawing of her cat. He was all twisted in an even funnier way. You notice that Papyrus had quieted down and was now looking with you.

You flip back to the last page for him to see. You further admire the shading and coloring that she did on this. _geeze shorty, you're full of surprises._ You flip two ahead and see a drawing of some kind of plant. After a second you remember it was a rose. Papyrus hums at her work looking pleased. You flip to a couple more pages of humans you didn’t know, flowers and landscapes, and her cat, looking with Paps before you stop dead at one picture. It was a drawing of Papyrus, playing video games. The cord was whipping wildly as he leaned his whole body to the side. Crossed legs with one knee high in the air, elbows way out and looking similar to the knees, his face happy and annoyed while the tv lit up his face. Your smile grew as you looked at it. “IF YOU LIKE THAT ONE BROTHER THEN YOU SHOULD LOOK AT THE ONE SHE MADE FOR ME!” He states proudly.

You just simply nod and then flip to the next page. It was Alphys. Sitting at the spot she showed us. She was smiling with her hands in her lap, wearing a simple light blue dress. She was sitting on the blanket, eyes slightly closed from how calm and happy she was. _These are amazing._ You flip to the next page to see that it was a half done picture of Undyne. From what you could see it was of her wearing a nicer outfit that was usually for Alphys and had a huge smile on. “OH I TOOK THAT PICTURE! I WAS WONDERING WHY SHE WANTED IT!” He says mostly to himself.

You flip the page again, half expecting nothing. And you were wrong. It was an even more unfinished drawing of… _me?_ It had your face shape and body shape. _why would she draw me?_ You look at it for a second longer before flipping the page. Nothing. You flip a couple more, just to look, before you hit a page full of dates. Some of them have little abbreviations you don’t understand, many with past marks that got changed to the current ones. But two of them stood out the most. ‘Feb/10 >=( B’ and ‘sept/15 !! caution’ _the hell?_ You shrug and close the book before sliding it back into its place. You turn to Papyrus to see him very deeply in thought. “uh paps? what's up? you only make that face when someone is _boned_.” You joke at him.

He sighs and looks at you with a neutral face. “February tenth.” He says very quietly. You turn to fully look at him. His sockets were the only sign of how excited he was. “HER BIRTHDAY IS FEBRUARY TENTH!” He cheers mostly to himself.

_what?_ You look at him weirdly before you check your phone, leaving him to his cheering. _we spent an hour looking at those? wow._ You sigh and look over at Paps to see him feverishly typing on his phone now . You chuckle and stand up to look around. You faintly remember there being no weak smell of blood the last time you were in here. _she has been smelling lightly of blood a lot since i’ve been here._ You walk over to the window first, where there is a swarm of different kinds of plants. _wish i knew what kinds these were. guess botany never really_ grew _on me._ You chuckle to yourself as you look at the different colors. You spy one that you think is the favorite. _Special and big pot, best lightning, looks great._ The plant in question has no flowers. It's all green and has parts that break off into points and small spikes that don’t seem to pose much threat. You then go to admire all of the flowers around here. _hmm, she’d probably love an echo flower._

You move away and head towards a couple of closed doors, one set farther back the then other. You head towards that one. Opening the door, you get a glimpse of a bed before Papyrus draws your attention away. “SANS I TOLD YOU THAT HER ROOM IS OFF LIMITS. I WILL TATTLE ON YOU IF YOU GO IN THERE!” He warns you from the couch.

You freeze. “oh my bad bro, i didn’t know what room this was. is that other one the bathroom then?” You ask quickly to avoid being told on.

He gives you a suspicious look before nodding and quickly going back to his phone. You walk over to the bathroom where the smell of blood is much stronger. _did colin hurt her last night or something?_ You poke around until you find the trash can. ...full of bloody weird looking rags and some other blood soaked things. _looks like it’s for stab or bullet wounds._ You quickly google to see what they are. _periods?_ You do a little more googling and find out what they are. _wow. Poor thing, sounds bad._ You head out and see that Papyrus was walking around thinking. He is pacing around the room. _distracted for snooping._ You quickly teleport into her bedroom. _Still don’t know what kind of person she is. maybe if i follow her for a bit while she’s working i can finally get a good check on her soul._

You notice that she has a swarm of soft looking pillows, blankets, and what looks like a big white dragon plushie hidden under it all. _heh. cute._ You look around a little more. Nothing that screams ‘i’m going to hurt Paps’. You give it another once over to see if you missed anything. As you do, you spy another book shoved away under her bed. _what is it with this kid and hiding books under other things? terrible hiding place._ You quickly use magic to teleport it into your hands and then teleport it back to the living room. “heya paps, i'm going to grab a quick snack from your dorm, you want anything?” You ask as you look over your shoulder to see that Alphys was just now walking into the dorm.

He perks up at the sound of your voice. “WELL WE WILL BE JOINING YOU SO I CAN JUST MAKE DINNER IF YOU WOULD ALL LIKE!” Papyrus offers as he starts to move towards the door.

You quickly pocket the book and smile. “sounds great paps! means i get to take a nap instead.” You make a quick cover up for your absence.

He sighs loudly but you quickly teleport into his spare room. You wait till you hear them come in before you teleport back to the college. _College classes aren’t that long right?_ You look around at the sea of people and see her quickly making her way through them all. You watch and follow as she slowly makes her way to a pizza place that isn’t too far from the grocery store. She stops outside and quickly takes her coat off. _ah, work outfit under hoodie. smart._ She hesitates before walking in. You make a mental note of that and get a little comfortable where you are. You take out her book that was under the bed and give it a better look. _just a simple black book, with no real sign of what it is. lovely._ You open it up to a random page.

“ _I just got back from visiting dad today. He was angrier than he normally is. I’m glad that Casey pulled him off in time today lol. Don’t think the hospital would want me in their ER. ...No, they wouldn’t. But Chris is making me go to the hospital later tomorrow anyway. Hopefully nothing's broken this time, but who’s to say. Just feels like some bruising and maybe a bone bruise. I really hate these “not mandatory” mandatory visits.”_

You freeze. _what the hell?_ You look for a date. Nothing. You go to flip another page.

_“I’m worried about Gram grams health. She is eating less and less as time moves on. Last month she was told that she probably wouldn’t walk for very much longer. Me and Chris barely have enough for her meds, but I told him I would handle it so that he can get groceries this week. I’m so scared to lose one of the few people who care about me. She needs to be comfortable. I’ll just have to stretch out my food this month. Hopefully Maria doesn’t notice. Shouldn’t be long till I can get her a nice one.”_

_her gram gram? she starved to get a wheelchair for her grandma?_ You go to flip to another page, but hear her walking out with a huge amount of pizza and other things. You look a little closer and she looks pissed. You grab your phone from your pocket.

‘hey bucko, thought of a cheesy pun. olive it a lot so i thought that you might too. goes something like, “hey jim is the mike coming to our party the one who can’t spell or the one who eats people and jokes about it?’

‘“i don’t know let me look.” so he checks his texts. “i can’t wait to meat all of your friends!” “…not a clue darling!”’

You wait asa she gets everything in the car. Once she sits in the seat you see her grab her phone. She looks confused, but it quickly turns into a smile. You watch her laugh as she reads it. _heh, cute._ You pause. _yeah, humans act pretty cute. frisk is super cute sometimes._

‘Lol, nice one. Thanks, I needed that’

_dork._ She starts the cars and starts driving. You wait for her to drive around for a moment before teleporting around, following her.

\-------------------------------------------------------------Marcy.pov----------------------------------------------------

_Last house. Thank literally anything good._ You mentally sigh before you get out of the car. You take your Pizza bag and run up to the house as it pours down on you. You were already soaked before, but every house you have to go to just makes sure that you stay that way. _Thank god there is a heater in the car or I might have died. Though I won’t doubt that I’ll get a friggin cold with how much I've been in the rain and cold._ You sigh and ring the doorbell. Pulling your best smile as you hear footsteps approaching. You follow the slow shadow moving by the window. Once they open the door you see why they were moving so slowly. “You’s my pizza angel?” He croaks out.

It was an older looking man with one leg. He smiled at you in a charming way. _What a cute old man._ You smile warmly at him. “I believe I am sir.” You tell him back as you lift the pizza bag.

His smile brightens when you smile for real. “Ah, there's a real smile. Been awhile since I’ve seen one of them. Now how much was that price little lady?” He asked while digging in his pocket.

Your smile falters. _He got five large pizzas…_ “That will be 82.17 sir.” You tell him much less enthusiastically.

You watch his eyes widen slightly. “Huh. Prices musta gone up since the last time I got them.” He mumbles. You hear a couple of cars start to pull up the road. He starts to sweat. “H-hey lady, you should just go. Never mind the pizza.” He tells you quickly.

You frown. “Here sir.” You hand him the pizzas. He gives you a puzzled look. “My boss likes to over charge the crap out of people, just take it.” You tell him with a small smile.

He looks at you with a weird expression, it almost looked like he was looking for something. When he seemed to find it his face shifts into a determined one. “Ok listen good kid. Those cars coming are a bunch of my son's friends. ‘pparently you made one mad or sumthin. They don’t got good plans for you. Please head home as quick as you can. You're a goodin’. I can tell, so please go.” He quickly pleads at you.

He then smiles sadly and closes his door on you. Panic fills you as you suddenly know how close the cars are getting. You run back to your car and quickly start it. You back up out of the driveway as casually as you can. _I swear I’m quitting today. This job is not worth this much shit…_ You pass the cars and see them suddenly slow down, making you speed up even more. You hum tensely to calm yourself and drive away, nearly speeding the whole way to get to work. You take the long way and many unnecessary turns, just to make sure they aren’t following you. _Maybe I’ll take my shortcut home too._ You eventually get back to the building and run inside. _Never been glad to come to work… wish I could say the same about going home..._ Fear almost peaking at the thought of having to walk home alone. You walk into your bosses office, being the human embodiment of the nervousness.

You stop at the doorway and knock. He grunts in response, not looking up from his phone. “S-sir, I’m quitting.” You tell him quietly.

His head snaps up from whatever had his attention. _Why does he have to look so mad…_ You try your best to stand your ground. _Only thing I can do._ “What?” Is all he says in a cold way.

You take in a breath. “I’m quitting. I would like the money I worked for last week. You can keep today’s since I’m leaving on such short notice. And i’m sorry, but I have things that I need to take care of and don’t have time to work and go to school right now.” You tell him much more firmly than you meant.

He looks a little shocked before going right back to mad. He grabs his wallet and takes out a wad of cash. “That should be more than ‘nough. Now leave.” He tells you as he crumples it up and throws it at you. “Leave the uniform here though. Put it in the back before you go. Don’t expect a job here in the future.” Is all he says before pushing you out and closing the door.

You quickly go to the bathroom and strip your shirt off. You throw your coat on and then toss the shirt in the back before throwing the hood back on. You head outside with your bag held to your chest. You start to run the path of your short cut. You make it to the track with no real stops. After a couple steps in the open you hear a couple guys yelling, making your heart drop. Your adrenaline spikes and tears prickle in your eyes. You push yourself to run faster. You grab your phone and call Papyrus as you hear them running your way. He picks up on the second ring. “HELLO? MARCY WHY HAVE YOU CA-” He is interrupted by the sound of you choking out a sob.

“P-papyrus I-I need help. H-He’s after me a-a-again.” You cry into the phone.

You hear what sounds like everyone there yelling and running out of the door. You hang up and try to run faster. You jump clear over the fence and start to make your way to the campus. It sounds like one of them fell trying to do the same. Your phone starts to ring again. You scramble to pick it up, you can hear them getting closer but you don’t dare to look over your shoulder. “MARCELINE WHERE ARE YOU?!” Papyrus nearly yells into the phone.

Your lungs are screaming but you manage to get out what you need. “On campus. Running your way. Many guys.” You tell him through gasps.

He hangs up the phone this time. Every part of your body was screaming at you to go faster and to stop all at the same time. You made it to the main part of the campus. Your eyes started to frantically look around for anyone you knew. You caught eyes with one of the guys behind you. It was the bigger one that was with Colin when he tried to chase you in the dorm. Your eyes widen and your gaze goes around much more frantic. You short cut through one of the buildings and end up closer to where your psychology class is. _So close. Please be here._ You beg for any of them to be here.

You B line it to where you and Papyrus split for class. You see a bit of sapphire blue and turn your head quickly. You see everyone running down the path as fast as they can, talking to each other. Tears of joy run down your face as you start to run their way. “o-OVER HERE!” You yell at them.

Their heads whip over to you and head your way. You hear a couple of the guys behind you curse under their breath. _Were they that close behind me?!_ You try your hardest to pick up your speed again. You lean forward, pumping your one arm as hard as you can. A couple of your friends call your name in joy. You look up and smile before you register that it wasn’t joy. Their faces were of rage or fear. A hand gripped you by the back of the neck roughly. An extreme amount of memories flood to the front of your brain. You jerk away violently and stumble, barely catching yourself last minute. You turn to face. ... _Colin._ He has an insane look in his eyes as well as a matching grin. You freeze for a moment before trying to turn and run again. You see that Alphys was on the phone and holding onto Undyne while Papyrus and Sans were coming over to get you. _God why are they still so far._

Colin grabs you again by the arm with too much force. Feel more tears fall as the pain rises from you trying to pull away. “M-MARCY PLEASE! GET AWAY FROM HIM!” The sound of fear in Papyrus’s voice makes the protective side of you flicker.

You look up at him with tear filled eyes before numbing your brain over to ignore everything that is going on in it. _God fucking damn! What do I do?!_ You think for a moment before an idea hits you. You take the bag that you had in one arm and swing it around. You smash it books side first into his face, making a sickening crunching sound. He yells in pain and loses his grip on your arm just enough for you to pull it away. You finally make it to Papyrus and Sans, jumping a little as you go to hug the both of them. Papyrus kneels down to hug you back, but Sans walks straight by you with nothing except for a small pat on the shoulder. You cry on Papyrus for a moment before he starts to pull you up. He carries you over to the girls and places you next to Alphys. She passes the phone over to Papyrus.

When he lets you stand on your own, but you wobble for a moment before Alphys grabs you by the arm, pulling you out of your head. You jump and look at her in shock before realizing what happened. She gently pets your arm for a moment. Your brain starts to go fuzzy, not fully registering what's happening around you again. The memories that you pushed away earlier come back to you painfully so.

_Him grabbing you too tight._

_Him hitting you._

_Him. Screaming at you._

_Him. Pinning you._

_him_

_Him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him. him._

_I don’t want too see him again._

_I have to see him soon._

_I’ve dragged the others into my problems_

_He’s going to hurt me again._

_Please don’t._

_Not again D-_

A light shaking of your shoulders makes you snap out of your head. You jerk back, but with less force than the other times. You look up fearfully, only to see Undyne. “Hey, fluff ball, are you ok?” She asks you calmly, hand firmly but gently placed on your shoulder. “You zoned out and started to shake and cry sum more.” She tells you as she starts to rub your shoulder lightly.

She says something else but you're lost in your surroundings. You’re focused on what's happening around you as you wipe your face off. Alphys was talking with Sans, Sans was holding Colin down with magic and they both look pissed, Papyrus was on the phone with the cops, and Undyne was here, looking at you like she was waiting. _What did she ask?_ You nod at her, not really knowing what you said yes too. She nods and motions to the others. They start to head the way they came. _The dorms._ You quickly walk behind them all as a very enraged Colin is being forced to come along. You pull your bag back up to your chest and let your head hang slightly. You try to avoid thinking of anything other than where everyone is as you walk to the dorms.

You all walk in relative silence until you arrive at the front. At the sound of Colin yelling for help the security guards come rushing out. Rhodey, upon seeing and realizing what must have happened, goes red with anger. He says something to Sans that you don’t quite pick up on, but Sans lets him go so that the other guards can grab him. He walks over to you quickly with his hand outstretched. _Hold still or he hits more._ You can feel yourself tremble as you close your eyes. You feel him wrap his arm around your shoulder and give it a soft squeeze. Your shaking lessons and you open your eyes. _What? No, this is Rhodey not Dad. What am I thinking? Making him feel bad._ You try to force your shaking to stop as you give him a small smile. “Go wait in your dorm. I’ll make sure the cops get him.” Is all he says to you before he leaves.

You stand there for a moment confused before the words register. You quickly start to weave through people and speed walk to your room. You hear someone try to say something to you, making you hesitate. “ARE YOU OK?” Was all they asked.

_Papyrus. ...You’re making him worry so much. God you're such a scumbag. Can’t stop dragging others into your mess huh? Just keep walking dipwad._ You simply nod your head no and walk on.

  
  


\-------------------------------------------------------------Sans.pov-----------------------------------------------------

  
  


Papyrus was cooking dinner with Undyne in the kitchen, passionately yelling at the tomatoes about their true potential. You and Alphys were watching some Anime that Marceline had gotten her hooked on. Something to do with giant humans fighting and eating normal humans and a wall? _not sure what's happening._ I got pretty gory. After a little while of yelling from both the tv and the kitchen, Papyrus’s phone rings. He quickly answers it. “HELLO? MARCY WHY HAVE YOU CA-” He suddenly stops talking.

You can feel his magic spike suddenly. _what did she do that made him so worried?_ You turn to see Papyrus with a face full of fear and worry, making your magic do the same. You hear her cry something into the phone. Papyrus puts all of the cooking to a halt and puts the phone down for a moment. “MARCELINE IS BEING CHASED BY THAT NASTY HUMAN COLIN AGAIN. WE NEED TO GO!” He quickly explains, tears prickling in his eyes.

Undyne is the first to jump on this. “THAT PRICK AGAIN?! I SWEAR I’M GOING TO BEAT HIM TO A… NO NOT EVEN A PULP. WHEN I’M DONE HE’LL BE EVAPORATED. NGAHHH!” Undyne yells, making her way to the door.

Everyone is quick to follow. You turn to talk to Papyrus but you can see him desperately trying to get a hold of her again. You lean a little closer so that you can hear as well. “MARCELINE WHERE ARE YOU?!” Papyrus nearly yells into the phone the second she picks up.

You can hear her breathing heavily and the sounds of many footsteps. … _and lots of yelling in the background._ “On campus. Running your way. Many guys.” She explains in between breaths of air.

He hangs up the phone and starts to full sprint to get to her. _if only i knew where the hell she is! i could just teleport there and grab her and teleport back._ You sigh to yourself and try to keep up with everyone else. “I-I-I th-think I c-can hear s-some yelling nearby!” Alphys quickly points out.

You hear what sounds like a couple of human guys. “That means we’re close. And by the sounds of it, there are plenty of asses to beat.” Undyne flexes her hand, ready to summon a spear at will.

You turn to look at her, ready to agree. “o-OVER HERE!” You hear Marceline yell desperately.

You turn to see her being chased by Colin and Five. **_five._ ** Other guys that look like they could snap Colin like a twig. Just at the sights of monsters running their way, two of them turn tail and run. Whatever they said put an extra boost in her speed as she starts to full body run. You watch as a couple more guys leave, pushing Colin forward like boosts. You watch in rage as Papyrus yells her name in fear. The nasty Bastard got his hand wrapped around the back of her neck. The second contact is made it’s almost like she had frozen for a moment. She jerks with enough force that she makes herself stumble slightly. She turns to look at him after she balances herself. He had a disgusting grin that was covering his face, making you feel a little sick. She turns around to run again. “I-I’m calling t-the police! Sans a-and P-Papyrus go get h-her!” Alphys quickly instructs the both of you as she holds the phone to her head. 

You and your bro quickly pickup pace so that you can get there quicker.

Colin grabs her by the arm forcefully. Fresh tears stream down her face as she tries even harder to jerk away, but he jerks her closer to him. You can feel magic starting to radiate in the air. “M-MARCY PLEASE! GET AWAY FROM HIM!” The sound of Papyrus’s voice seems to make something snap in her soul.

She thinks it over before twisting her bag around and it into his face, making a sickening crunching sound. You feel a small spike in the, now dissipating magic, just as she does. He yells in pain and loses his grip on her arm just enough so that she can get away. She runs the rest of the way and hops into us, hugging tightly. Papyrus kneels down to hug back, but just give her a small pat. **_i’ve got some trash to take out._ ** You storm over to the now retreating Colin, his nose gushing blood again, along with his lip. “seems like you're having a bad time there. pal.” You state with a slight dark undertone to it. “ **and it looks like it’s about to get worse.** ”

He looks up at you wide eyed, face full of rage and fear. You grab him with blue magic and hold him in place. He takes notice immediately. “H-Hey! It’s illegal for you monsters to use magic against humans! E-even if that new bill passed i’ll still see you in court you creepy mother fucker!” He spouts randomness at you.

You feel your socket lights flicker out for extra flare. “oh bud. didn’t you read the one about protection? heh. either way, you’re stuck with me till the cops arrive.” You calmly inform him with a small wink.

You look over at the others, ignoring the douche who has taken to loudly mumbling the charges he thinks he will be pushing against everyone here. Alphys was rubbing her arm gently as she stood there shaking and staring at the ground. Guilt fills you at not being able to help more. You look over to Papyrus as he heads over to you. “I THINK IT WOULD BE BEST TO BE GO BACK TO THE DORMS.” He tells you while waiting on the phone.

He throws a couple glances over his shoulder before looking at Colin with blank sockets. _man did you dig yourself a huge hole. least you can roll over into it for a grave._ You sigh and watch as Papyrus snaps to attention again. He starts to chat with the person on the other end. “YES YES, WE SHALL DO THAT MA’AM. THANK YOU. WE WILL BE HEADING THERE NOW.” He makes a small motion for you to follow.

You flick your wrist slightly so that the douche follows too. You head over to the girls and look to Alphys, who has left Undyne to shake Marcy out of whatever spaced out state she was in. Fresh tears rolling down her face. “hey al whats going on?” You ask Alphys quietly, leaving Colin a decent ways away from Marcy.

She shrugs. “I-i-i’m not sure. P-papyrus set her o-over here a-a-and s-she just z-zoned out a-a-and started t-t-to shake and cry m-m-more.” She quickly explains, mild panic in her voice.

You pat her shoulder. “hey it’s ok. you’re doing fine al, not your fault. take a breath ok?” You ask her before giving her shoulder a good squeeze. “come on, paps said we should head back to their dorms. you coming?” You let go and look around to look at Undyne.

“You want to go back to your dorm?” Undyne asks in a nice and awkward way.

Marceline just looks around at everyone blankly before turning back to look at Undyne and nodding. _why does she look so confused about that?_ You wonder as Undyne signals to go back to the dorms. She freezes and looks around for a moment before following behind everyone. You move Colin to the edge of the group so that he can mumble away from her. Dyne and Paps talk to each other for a moment while we walk, sparing an odd glance or two at one of the humans. Your attention is snapped away when you hear Colin hum happily. “That. Is the Marcy that I like.” He says with a satisfied smile.

You glance over to see her holding her bag for comfort and clearly upset. _that’s what this fuck wad is into?!_ You lower him down so that he is dragging on the ground for a bit. He tries to say something in protest, but you turn him so when he tries to speak all he gets is dirt. Feeling a little better, you look up to see that you are basically at the building. The second everyone stops walking though Colin starts to loudly yell. “HELP! A bunch of monsters kidnapped me! HELP ME!”

He struggles against your magic. Poorly, but he tries. The guards of the dorm come running out, faces going from stressed to angry once they guess what's really going on. His pleas for help quickly die. One of the guards went redder than you’ve ever seen a human go. _he must be piiissssed._ You joke in your head. He stops in front of you and takes a small breath. “You can go ahead and drop him. I’ll have the other two grab him and put him in my office, think we’ve got handcuffs in there somewhere.” He tells you calmly while nudging his head towards the other human guards.

You float him over to them and pull your magic back. The guard talking to you relaxes slightly and turns to Marceline. He holds out one arm to hug her while holding his radio in the other. Her eyes go wide with fear and the slam shut making you and the others jump a little. _why is she shaking again? does she really not like hugs? no no. she acted like she was about to get hit…_ She seems to realize what's happening and forces a smile at him, shaking starts to go away. “Go wait in your dorm. I’ll make sure the cops get him.” Is all he says to her before he leaves.

She stands there for a moment before she walks around everyone quickly to head inside the building. Papyrus follows for a moment, arm outstretched. But stops. “ARE YOU OK?” His voice filled with worry.

  
_don’t lie to him kid._ She stops for a moment. You see a couple of tears fall but all she does is shake her head no and continues walking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for all the love and support you've shown! it means a great deal to me! And thank you to all who comment, i love reading what you have to say, it never fails to make me smile!


	19. It's ok

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some nice comfort. ... and maybe a bout of self hate. ...sorry... But still comfort! and maybe a little romance speculation =D

You feel a large hand gently grab your shoulder. You jump but stay facing forward.  _ You need to chill the fuck out Marceline. _ You force yourself to turn around, half expecting to see someone else. When you look, you find that it was Papyrus. You relax and tense up at the same time. “W-WELL THEN, IF YOU’RE NOT OK THAN I SHALL MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE FEELING GREAT BY THE TIME THIS IS OVER! YOU NEED NOT DO THIS ALONE.” He states proudly. You give him a small smile, making his smile much more real. “NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMETHING WARM TO DRINK WHILE WE WAIT FOR THE POLICE? THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULD WANT TO TALK TO YOU.” He places his hand on your upper back and starts to guide you to your dorm.

You glance back to see the others standing around awkwardly. “Why aren’t they coming too?” You ask him quietly.

You slow down a little as you look back at them again. He stops and you follow suit. “THEY ARE WORRIED, SO THEY THOUGHT THEY SHOULD STAY BACK AND WAIT TILL YOU SAID THAT IT IS OK.” He quickly informs you.

You catch Sans’ sockets with your eyes. His widen for a moment before flashing a quick smile. You make a point to look at the others before waving your hand at them to follow. He perks up and says something and the others follow suit before they all walk over to you. They all kind of stand around, waiting….  _ Man, I've made everything awkward. _ Papyrus pushes on your back slightly, directing you to your dorm.  _ Probably saving me from embarrassment. _

Once you’ve all gotten into your dorm a settled slightly Papyrus was off into your kitchen to make drinks. You all sit there avoiding eye contact, your chest feeling heavy.  _ Say something you dumbass! _ “... I-i’m sorry.” Is all you manage. Voice coming out quiet and broken.

Everyone’s eyes are suddenly on you. Alphys starts to open her mouth but you beat her to it. “I shouldn’t have dragged you all into my problems. A-and this is probably more stress then you guys want or need.” You lower your head to avoid looking them in the eyes. “I can understand i-if you guys just w-want to cut ties with m-me.” You use your sleeve to wipe off a tear and give a sad laugh. “People as great a-as you don’t deserve this stress.”

You let out an unattractive sound as you try to keep snot from spilling out of your nose. “I’m so s-sor-”

“marceline. dude. hold on for a moment. just breathe. no ones leaving or cuttin’ ties with you.” Sans tells/cuts you off. You take in a shuttery breath.

_ He’s just saying that so i’ll stop crying. _ You wipe your eyes and take another breath.  _ Just play along for now, you know what happens next. _ You force a smile and look up. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I'm just still a bit flight minded. Sorry.” You stand up and brush yourself off. “If you could excuse me.” And with that you walk away feeling their eyes and unsaid words.

You walk into the bathroom and lock the door behind you, tears starting to fall freely. You feel your breath start to rapidly go up in pace. Chest tight. Body shaking harshly. You slide against the wall and sit down.

_ They're going to leave me alone. _

_ … _

_ I don’t blame them. _

_ …. _

_ I don’t want to be alone again. _

_ I’ve grown to like having at least a friend around… _

_ …. _

_ Can I stop this?! _

_ No. _

_ No one ever stays long… _

_ Just let it run its course.  _

_ You’ve ruined their minds enough with your endless problems…  _

_ They probably are talking about what happened _

_... _

_ At least they don’t say rude things behind your back. _

_ People always do.  _

_... _

_ Just close them off.  _

_ It’s your fault anyway. _

_ Your fault. _

_ Your problem. _

_ You did this. _

_... _

_ You hurt them didn’t you? _

**_...I didn’t mean to…_ **

_ God you’re such a selfish brat. _

_ You Worthless,  _

_ Stupid, _

**_Bitch._ **

_... _

_ Why don’t you ju-  _

“marceline?” You hear someone say.  _ From in the bathroom with you?! _

You jump a look up and see Sans with a tense and worried expression.  _ Fuckfuckfuckfuck. _ You quickly wipe your face and try to stand quickly, making your head rush and you slump in the wall, still trying to force yourself up. “Ah s-s-shit. Sorry. W-Was I gone f-f-for too long?” You weakly ask.

He holds onto your shoulders to keep you standing. “just a few moments, but that’s not why I came to check on you. are you ok? like actually ok? i’m sorry to say but i know a fake smile when i see one.” He tells you as he lets go of you.

_ He’s calling you on your bullshit. He found a way in here to scold you for lying. _ “I-...” You start sniffling. “N-no. I’m not. ...B-but I will be.” He leans his head down a little to catch your eyes. Yours start to look straight down. “Look S-sans I-”

“kid. stop saying sorry.” You got to apologize but snap your jaw shut.

There's a couple moments of silence. The both of you standing there. “why did you think that we would want to just up and leave you?” He finally asks.

You curl in on yourself more. “I-i understand that I can be a bit of a problem for others… With Colin bugging me and people who are my friends. And um… other things.” He quirks a brow bone as you say that. “I… I think I should talk to everyone.” You pause and think for a moment. “Maybe you’ll all understand a bit more than. ..I have been avoiding talking about t-things but I… everyone deserves an explanation, and Papyrus needs answers to his questions. I’m going back out there.” You put your hands on your face and start to rub them quickly up and down. “I’m sorry I’m thinking out loud mostly.”

You sigh and head to the door. Sans grabs your shoulder, making you pause. “listen. You’ve known us for a little under a month, you don’t need to rush to tell us everything. monsters tend to get comfortable quicker than humans, like we said a while ago. i’m sure that we’d all understand.” He lets his hand drop when you look at him.

You smile sadly. “Everyone says that they will understand. But I should put things out there. Better to face what's to come now rather than later.” You inform him before unlocking the door and walking out with your head high.

_ No reason to worry yet. _ You walk out and see everyone sitting and talking with cops.  _ Fuck. _

_ \--- _

You informed the cops many times over and filled out a paper about everything that happened with Colin from the beginning. The cop that was talking to you the most, Ryan, was very calm and understanding about the events.  _ I forgot how many times he’s harassed me… _ When you said that this has been going on for a couple years you thought you saw someone flinch from the couch. “You seem to be doing very well, done this before?” One of the cops joke.

You freeze slightly, but quickly laugh it off. After you’re all done talking to them and they deem that they have enough of what they need they start to leave. “And you're sure that you don’t want to take this to court?” Officer Ryan asks you.

You quickly shake your head. “He’s already going to be locked up for a bit so I think that's good enough.” You inform him as you open the dorm for them all.

Once they all leave you shut the door quietly behind them. You lean against the door and let out a loud sigh, running your hands through your hair as you close your eyes.  _ Thank god that’s over. _ “You good fuzzy?” Undyne asks you, concerned.

_ I totally forgot that they were all here. _ Your eyes snap open and you look up, letting your hands drop. You give a small smile at her concern for you. “I think that we’re all due for a talk. I… I’ve been keeping some things from you all.” You rub the side of your arm and look down at the ground. You feel the air start to grow a little heavier. “You can ask me whatever you want, but there are some things I'd like to say first.” You finish saying.

You walk over to them and take a seat in front of the tv so that you can see Sans, Undyne, and Alphys on the couch and Papyrus on the chair. Sole comes over from Alphys’s lap and curls up on yours. You pet him as you feel your chest already tight. “I’m not totally sure where to start. Um…” You think for a moment. “I was born to two not so great parents. My Dad was the very definition of physically abusive. I can’t remember a day with him that he wouldn’t hurt me in some way. Heh, even if he was sick he’d land a hit…” You think for a moment. “On the bad days he would beat me till I couldn’t move, but would never take me to the hospital. Sometimes he would starve me for days, burn me, tried strangling me once… I wish I could say that he didn’t do more, but i’m trying to keep this shorter.” You glance up from Sole to see pissed off or horrified looks.

You flinch slightly, but continue on. “My Mom didn’t really hit me much, sure an odd slap or two, but she wasn’t a fan of hitting.” You feel the air get a little lighter. “But she was a huge fan of verbally putting me down. I never did anything right in her eyes. So I spent most of my days in my room and school. No one really hung out with me other than Chris. He was probably my saving grace through it all.” You smile slightly at that. “But uh anyway, i’m sure you all heard all of the stuff that’s happened with Colin.” You take a small brake so that they can think about it for a moment. “This is why most everyone always leaves. So I thought it would be better to cut to the chase before anyone got any major shock. So uh yeah…” You start to flounder.

_ It’s better they all leave now rather than when you’re comfortable. Just deal with it. _ “i’m sorry paps, but I need to say this. what the fuck?” You hear Sans say loudly.

You slouch slightly more. “That's what you were hiding from us?!” Undyne says weirdly quiet.

You curl in on yourself.  _ I knew they were going to be upset with me. _ You go to start apologising. “WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR MOTHER? YOU TOLD ME THAT SHE PASSED WHEN SHE WAS YOUNGER.” Papyrus calmly asks.

You look up at him for a moment. The other two calming slightly “W-well when I was twelve my Mom and Dad started yelling at each other, which was pretty normal for them. So I went to hide in my room. They ended up getting so worked up that I couldn’t understand what they were saying. But then my Mom screamed and then it was really quiet.” You took a shaky breath.

“I went to go check on her, fearing that he hurt her really bad. … And I was right. He was standing over her shaking. He had stabbed her so many times that she just laid there on the ground. I rushed over to her and held her to me, crying and begging Dad to call anyone. … When I turned to him he took the knife he had in his hand and stabbed me in the shoulder.” I tried to get away but the knife in my shoulder just made it harder. I-I panicked and pulled it out and took a swipe at him. I found out later that I got him across the face. I ran from the house after that.” You wipe the lone tear from your eye and glare at the floor.

There was a large awkward pause. “W-what happened after th-that?” Alphys asked quietly.

She looked so… sad. “Well,” You continued on. “I ran out of the house, hoping I would run into anyone. It was later than I thought so the streets were empty. I just ran and ran till I couldn’t. I found a cleanish looking alleyway and ended up sleeping there until I was told to leave. After that I was picked up by a cop. Turns out I had been bleeding out over the span of hours. I looked like bleached trash. After that they arrested my Dad and now I uh… yeah.” You look up and unzip your coat a little so that you could show them the scar on your shoulder. “That’s why I was trying to hide this. Raises lots of questions.”

They all lean a bit closer to get a better look. Alphys has a look on her face that gives you the impression she wants a closer look. You nod at her and she hops up to get a closer look. The others seem to think that that means they do too, not that you mind. You lean your head to the side. After a moment of them looking you feel someone touch it very lightly making you jump. They snap their hand back. “i-i didn’t hurt you did i?” Sans asks worriedly.

You can see the sweat on his head. “N-no, I just wasn’t expecting it.” You quickly reassure him.

He slowly traces around the area. You feel someone else touch it lightly, more towards the center. You go to say something else but you hear Papyrus sniff sadly. Your head snaps to look at him to see that he’s been crying. You look at him shocked. “I-I was unaware of all of this harm w-wrongly done to you.” He sobs out.

He goes to say something else but you interrupt him. You quickly stand up once he finished his sentence and wrap your arms around him. “Shh… It’s in the past Papyrus.” You quietly tell him. He tightly hugs you back, crying harder. “I’m fine now aren’t I? Standing right here with you all.” You coo to him.

He hugs you tighter. “BUT YOU NEVER DESERVED ANY OF THIS.” He grips you a little tighter.

You just hold him and pet the back of his skull. After a few more moments he seems to calm down. You sit down next to him, patting his back lightly. After a couple moments of silence Sans looks up at you. “i’m still confused about one thing.” He looks you dead in the eyes. “why did you think that we wouldn’t want to be friends with you after you told us this?”

You give him another sad smile. “You make it sound like you all still do. Bu-”

“W-WHAT?!” You turn to Alphys after her loud outburst. “W-Why wouldn't we want to be your friends?! Just b-because you have a bad past doesn’t mean th-that it would affect our friendship! F-Friends want to be there and help! And i-if people stopped being your friends because o-of that then sh-shame on them!” She huffs after she is done, Undyne rubbing her back slightly. “M-marceline, we are happy t-to be your friends. D-Don’t push us away b-because of w-what others have d-done.”

“Yeah! Don’t be rude you Mighty mite!” Undyne tells you with a smile.

_ She just can’t stick to a nickname. _ You hold the tears in your eyes, not wanting to cry anymore than you have today. “OF COURSE I WOULDN’T WANT TO NOT BE YOUR FRIEND! WE HAVE SO MUCH FUN! AND YOU ARE VERY GOOD PERSON!” He tells you, voice still slightly lower than usual.

You laugh weakly.  _ Don’t start crying again you idiot. _ You think rudely to yourself. “You’re all too good for me…” You tell them and chuckle weakly. You go to say something else but your phone goes off, playing ‘Dancing Queen’, and you smile as a terrible picture of Chris pops up. “I-i should take this. He’s a bit of a helicopter brother.”

They laugh as you stand up and walk into your room to talk to him. “Papyrus texted me earlier saying the just. Are you ok?! I swear i’m going to murder that son of a-”

“Chris, chill! They said that it is incredibly likely that he’s going to jail since this isn’t his first offence. Take a breather Bro.” You quickly soothe.

You audibly hear him take a breath. “Are you ok? … Are you going to be ok? I’ll come over if you need, I know how you get sometimes. … no offence Sissy…” You nearly laughed at his concern of offending you.

“I know what you mean you goober. Some of my friends are here right now… I’m sure I can make it through the night alone.” You tell him with more confidence than you thought you had.

There’s a long pause. “I know you’re saying that to make me feel better but I’m serious. If you have a nightmare, panic or anxiety attack, you feel more upset than you are now, or anything else I want you to call me. ...Okay?”

_ His feathers are so ruffled. _ “Chris I will call you if I get bored or it gets serious. Ok? I should probably go make everyone something to eat. I love you dude.” You tell him calmly.

He takes a long. Overly dramatic. Sigh. “I loooooooove yooou too Sissy.” He says even more dramatically.

You laugh at him. “I thought I told you not to ca-” He laughs and hangs up on you. “Aw you bitch!” You call his picture on your phone.

You walk out to see that the three of them are talking quietly around the table while Sans is napping on the couch, legs draped over Papyrus and head on the arm rest. “Grab an go?” Undyne offers.

“No th-that’s kidnapping Undyne. H-humans might t-take th-that the wrong way.” Alphys quickly explains.

“WHAT ABOUT IF WE JUST SAY WE ARE GOIN- O-OH HI MARCELINE!!!” Papyrus says way too enthusiastically. A small bit of sweat drips down his skull. “HOW WAS YOUR CALL WITH YOUR BROTHER?” He asks in a rush.

You look at him weirdly, noticing Alphys face planting out of the corner of your eye. “Good, just him being a dork. Do you guys want to stay for dinner again? I’m about to start cooking.” You tell them while thinking about what you should make.

They all seem to perk up at this. “I WOULD LOVE TO! YOU COOKING IS AMAZING! WHAT ABOUT YOU TWO? SANS PROBABLY WON’T CARE EITHER WAY, THE LAZY BONES.” He gives Sans a glance of annoyance.

“I’m down for dinner if Al is, what about you baby?” Undyne asks Alphys with a small smirk.

Alphys started to blush like crazy at the nickname. “U-u-u-h y-yeah s-s-sounds g-good t-t-to-to me! What a-are you-u making.” She stutters out quickly, voice just barely too high.

You smile at how cute the two are, making Alphys blush more. “I’m not sure yet, maybe some tacos? What do you guys think?” You ask them as you walk over to your plants, looking for your bandanna or maybe a hair tie.

You find your bandanna first and put it on so that the knot is under all your hair and keeps it out of the way. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------Alphys.pov-------------------------------------------------

Marceline went to her bedroom to talk to ‘Pixie’.  _ Didn’t she mention that being her brother? _ After a moment of quiet Sans decides to take a nap. “BROTHER NOOO, YOU SHOULDN’T BE NAPPING AT TIMES LIKE THESE!” Papyrus huffs at him.

You hold in a small laugh, wishing you could nap right now as well. “Hey Al you think now would be a good time to invite them to the thing? Might get everyone back at ease, yeah?” Undyne asks you in a quiet whisper.

You smile at the idea and just nod back. You point at yourself and then yourself with a questioning look. She thinks for a moment and then points to herself with a wink, making some color flush to your face. “Hey Papyrus, do you know if Mighty mite, you, and Sans are free tomorrow?” Undyne asks him while leaning back on the chair across from you.

Papyrus picks Sans up and puts his legs over his. You decide to sit at the other end of the couch near Undyne.  _ Doesn’t she have a job though? It’s easy to work around school, but she works a little late for Paps. _ “WELL ME AND SANS ARE BUT I’M UNSURE ABOUT MARCY. HER WORK SCHEDULE SEEMS TO CHANGE AT RANDOM. YOU WOULD HAVE TO ASK HER. WHY?” He questions with a slight head tilt.

You speak this time. “Well m-me and Undyne were thinking of t-taking everyone t-to one of the fairs t-tomorrow. F-frisk said that they are always r-really fun, lots of rides and games.” You tell him chipperly.

He smiles at the idea. “Maybe if she isn’t at work then we could just make it a surprise for her. Most everyone likes surprises right?” Undyne offers.

“B-but that leaves how t-to get her t-t-to go without anyone saying where…” You add quickly.

You hear Marceline curse loudly.  _ Sounds like she is having a good time. _ You think sarcastically. “Grab an go?” Undyne offers after being quiet for a moment.

“No th-that’s kidnapping Undyne. H-humans might t-take th-that the wrong way.” You quickly explain to her.

_ Can’t have a repeat of the grocery store. _ You shudder at the thought of that day. “WHAT ABOUT IF WE JUST SAY WE ARE GOIN- O-OH HI MARCELINE!!!” Papyrus interrupts himself and turns to look to her. A small bit of sweat drips down his skull. “HOW WAS YOUR CALL WITH YOUR BROTHER?” He asks in a rush.

She looks at him weirdly. You facepalm.  _ Don’t give us away that quickly you goober. _ “Good, just him being a dork. Do you guys want to stay for dinner again? I’m about to start cooking.” She casually asks, probably chalking it up to his usual dorkiness.

_ Something that isn’t noodles pleeease _ . You mentally plead. “I WOULD LOVE TO! YOU COOKING IS AMAZING! WHAT ABOUT YOU TWO? SANS PROBABLY WON’T CARE EITHER WAY, THE LAZY BONES.” He gives Sans a glance of annoyance while asking you and Undyne.

“I’m down for dinner if Al is, what about you baby?” Undyne asks you with a small smile.

_ OH STARS WHY?! Undyne you're going to kill me doing that one day.  _ Your face flushes greatly. “U-u-u-h y-yeah s-s-sounds g-good t-t-to-to me! What a-are you-u making.” You stutter out like an idiot.

You catch Marceline smiling fondly at the situation.  _ Why are you enjoying this?! _ “I’m not sure yet, maybe some tacos? What do you guys think?” She asks while walking towards her window with plants, looking around.

After a moment she finds a pink bandanna and slips it over her face.  _ What? _ She flips her hair out so the knot is under it all. She then slips the top up so  _ that she keeps her hair out of her face! Smart! _ She then walks to the kitchen, rolling up her hoodie sleeves.  _ Oh you are so going in my OTP!! But with who…? _ You start to think it over. Papyrus gets up and shakes Sans awake. After a few more moments of trying to think who she might go well with, you're drawn out of your thoughts by Undyne laughing. You smile and look at her. “I’m sorry Al, it was just so cute to watch you rack your brain.” She tells you sweetly.

Your blush resurfaces a little. “O-oh sorry I was thinking about what I-i mentioned t-to you earlier, i’ll t-tell you later. ...Maybe we can a-ask her what kind o-of person she likes over d-dinner?” You offer with a small gleam in your eyes.

She gets a determined look in her eye. “Don’t worry baby, we’ll get you another OTP for your list.” She tells you confidently.


	20. Ashes?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lots of talking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH, im sorry for being gone for so long!! Happy late Valentines day!! I hope all you with relationships had fun and that all you single pringles liked discount chocolate day! smooches!

“AH! Ow ow ow ow. Stupid friggin oil.” You hiss to yourself as the oil from the pan hits your arms.

You let go of everything and shake your arms off.  _ Why does this always happen?  _ “might sound cheesy, but oil help you if you want. i meat it, i swear.” Sans jokes from behind you.

You laugh a little. “You know what would be a great help?” You ask looking at him. He tilts his head slightly. “Can you tell the others that dinner is ready now?” You ask him as you take the taco out of the pan and put it on a plate.

He walks off to tell the others and you start grabbing plates to set the table. But before your able to even finish grabbing a couple plates Undyne and Papyrus rush in to help you, taking the plates out of your hands. “Oh my stars this smells so good.” Undyne simply states as she eyeballs one of the tacos.

Papyrus seems to grow a little annoyed. “UNDYNE DON’T EAT ANYTHING YET! EVERYONE ISN’T AT THE TABLE YET!” A small pause. “DON’T EAT A HANDFUL OF CHEESE EITHER!” Another pause. “UNDYNE!!!” Papyrus yells a bit too worriedly.

You laugh and grab the cheese bag and a couple more plates. You all spend a moment getting the table ready. “I’m getting drinks now, you guys want anything?” You ask while opening the fridge and grabbing two ketchup bottles.  _ I just know he will either drink it or put it on his taco. ...Maybe both. _ They all tell you relatively the same thing as the last time they were here for dinner. You take a couple trips and then sit down with the hot sauce and some water for yourself. “Hey Sans, did you know that there are some people that will smother their tacos in ketchup? It’s generally seen as weird but more normal than straight up drinking it.” You tell him with a small laugh.

He seems to smile a little brighter. “well you don’t need to tell me twice.” And with that he absolutely destroyed his tacos with ketchup. “glad to see that some people are able to ketchup with me.”

While trying to figure out if he could even taste anything other than ketchup now, you take a sip from your water as you sit down, eyeing the huge dent in the bowl of shredded cheese. A small smile pulls on your face from the two’s shenanigans. Once you’ve sat down everyone starts to grab the things that have been put on the table and fill your tacos with them. “S-so do you have t-to go t-t-to work tomorrow?” Alphys asks out of the blue.

You laugh a little. “Normally yeah. … I quit today.” You explain before taking a bite out of your taco.

“FINALLY!” Papyrus says while leaning back in his chair a little. “I WAS HOPING THAT YOU WOULD.”

You laugh a little more at his dramatic flare. “why was your boss too cheesy?” Sans jokes, making Papyrus groan. You laugh as well but keep your mouth shut otherwise. “but why did you quit?” Sans asks with eyes full of curiosity.

You hesitantly swallow your food.  _ You told them you would answer their questions. You can trust them.  _ “He wasn’t a good person. I just decided that I was done dealing with it all and quit.” You explain with mild venom in your tone. “Now I just gotta try to find another place to work.”

You quickly took another bite of your food. “WELL I THINK WE SHOULD CELEBRATE YOUR FREEDOM FROM NOT ONE, BUT TWO CRUMBY PEOPLE IN ONE DAY!” Papyrus exclaims happily. “WHAT SAY YOU TO A SLUMBER PARTY WITH THE REST OF US? IT WILL BE AT MY DORM OF COURSE, BUT! I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT THEIR WILL BE AT LEAST ONE BLANKET FORT!!” He grows more excited with every word.

_ This is the worst possible night for that.  _ Stars forming in his eyes as he looks at you with giddy anticipation.  _ fUCK. _ “A blanket fort you say? Well if I wasn’t sold before then I am now. But do you think we could do it tomorrow? I am really drained after today.” You tell him with a forced easy smile.

He seems to think it over. “WELL I DON’T SEE WHY NOT! I LOOK FORWARD TO OUR SLUMBER PARTY TOMORROW.” He tells you happily, but concern fills his eyes.

The rest of the dinner goes on without as much excitement as the rest of the day has,  _ thank god. _ But you swear that someone took another hand full of the cheese without you noticing. At the end of dinner Papyrus and Undyne challenge each other to see who can clean the most dishes, not that you minded as long as nothing was broken, you and Alphys decided the couch seemed like a nice place to sit for a bit, while Sans went outside for a phone call. You look over at Alphys who was watching your cat with interest. After a moment she looks up at you. “W-where did you get S-sole from? He s-seems like a pure b-breed.” She says while calmly scratching his chin.

_ She must have done more research on him.  _ You smile, knowing how much you love and hate this story. “Back when I first came to college I used to go on walks a lot to clear my head and what not. On one of those walks I heard loud meowing coming from a nearby, so I went to look. There was this mama cat carrying one of her kittens back into this nearby bush. I followed her from a distance for a bit until I saw that the bush was her home.” You smile fondly at the memory. “She looked very similar to him, maybe a bit darker, and she had the bluest eyes.” You happily inform Alphys.

Alphys seems to be overly content hearing this story, making you smile and continue. “My walks became daily, as I would go visit and bring food to them. One day I even made them a little house out of wood I managed to get. After a couple weeks she trusted me enough to let me hold her babies, she even brought one to me. I named them all too.” You tell her, smile falling slightly.

She doesn’t seem to pick up on it. “What were t-there names?” Alphys asked quietly.

Your smile picks up. “Well there was one that was very dark brown and loud, his name was Coca. Then there was the small almost bright orange one with a white belly that I named Ember. Sole was a little fighter when he was a kitten, he was also the runt of the litter. And then there were two that you could tell apart by their eyes, Cloud and Darling. Cloud had very blue eyes like her Mom and Darling is sadly very blind… The Mom cat I just always called Mama or dearest.” You laugh a little at that.

Alphys seems to be enjoying the story, smiling happily. You grab your phone and go to your gallery to show her the pictures that you took of them all. Her smile grows even more. Her hand coming up to cover her face to keep from squealing. “S-so did she just let you take him h-home?” She asks with a smile, and your smile falls as soon as she says that.

“A-ah no… Someone found them too. Someone much crueler than I thought people could be. I went back to their little home to find that someone had uh… stomp on her chest so hard the bones in her chest had all broke. I put all of the kittens into my backpack and tried to get her to the vet, but it was too far. So she just passed in my arms.” You take a small breath to keep the guilt in your gut and away from your voice and eyes, not wanting to cry. “I took them all home and started to make calls to some people. My Grandma ended up taking Darling and Cloud, Maria, one of my teachers took Coca, and someone that I met a long time ago took in Ember. Sole though got super attached to me, so I just kept him to myself. Although when they do inspections Chris has to take him on a quick drive. Normally I set up a vet appointment for that day.” You finish off with a small laugh.

Alphys look torn between crying and laughing. “Why would s-someone d-d-do that t-to anything? Who c-could d-do t-that?!” She asks, voice filling with more despair then anger.

You laugh dryly at that. “I know many who could. All of which are human…” You grimace. “But yeah, that's Soles epic backstory. I actually have her ashes too, been trying to think of something nice to do with them.” You steal a glance to your bedroom. “On a lighter subject, how's class been?”

\---------------------------------------------------------------Sans.pov---------------------------------------------------------------

You’ve read through the entire diary. After what she told you it all makes so much more sense. _god, I'm a prick. i just… i went through her shit and then found out all of that. nice going numbskull._ You sigh and teleport back into her room. You slide the book back into place and then teleport into Papyrus’s guest room. You put september 15th into your phone calendar. _a little over six weeks away._ _that has to have something to do with her dad. but what? maybe see him?_ You sigh and run a hand down your face. You sit there for a couple more minutes stuck in thought before you decide to head back. _almost time for paps to start getting ready for bed._ You walk out the door and head back into her dorm, forcing your usual smile onto your face. You see the four of them all sitting around and talking happily with one another, making your smile just a bit more real.

Marcy sees you and smiles before going back to intensely listening to Alphys. “S-so a human who c-can learn and use m-magic would h-have a slightly larger soul. Since h-humans are made of m-matter magic doesn’t come a-as easily as it does f-for monsters. We’re made o-of matter held t-together by magic, so when we d-die we just turn into d-dust.” Alphys tells her calmly.

Marceline seems to think for a couple seconds. “I remember you saying something about someone else seeing your soul being a really personal or intimate thing unless fighting, so is there any way for me to try and see it on my own?” She asks curiously.

_i forget most humans haven’t ever seen their own soul. weird._ You lean on the back of the couch by Undyne and Paps as Alphys explains a machine that she’s been making so humans could without the use of magic. _you know now would be a good time to check her._ You look at her chest closely. **_Marceline Kasem. Atk. 5 Def. 12 Lv. 1 Hp. 30/40 Is in for a rough night._** You blink. _what?_ You check again. _why so much hp and defense? oh wait. it would make sense that she would have that much do to her parents. but not hp…_ You mentally sigh to yourself. _i need some sleep._

After some more soul talk and explaining a bit of magic everyone decides that it's time to hit the hay. “I LOOK FORWARD TO TOMORROW MARCY! IF YOU NEED ME I AM JUST A CALL AWAY!” Paps tells Marceline while hugging her and swinging her side to side.

She laughs a little. “I do too Papyrus, have a good night!”

She tries her best to hug him back. As soon as Paps puts her down Undyne grabs her and starts giving her a noogie. She wiggles around while laughing more. “Sleep well you. I’ll have to force you to sleep tomorrow if you don’t! Fuhuhuhu!”

Once Undyne lets go of Marceline, Alphys walks over and gives Marcy a small hug. “Call any o-of us if you n-need us please.” Is all she tells her before following after Undyne.

You simply salute her and walk over to Paps. “you’re something else kiddo. have a good night.”

She walks everyone out and closes the door quietly behind you all. Everyone waves and says their goodnights before walking their different ways. You and your bro walk to his dorm. “BROTHER, I… I AM CONCERNED FOR MARCY.” Paps says after a few moments. “WHAT IF SHE ISN’T AS OKAY AS SHE SAYS SHE IS?” His voice is overwhelmingly filled with concern.

You smile a little. “you’re so nice bro. but i’m sure she will be ok, she has everyone's number if she needs something or someone. but if it makes you feel better i’ll text her later to check in on her, sound good?”

You look up at him, his brows are furrowed, but he seems more relaxed at the idea. “YES… THANK YOU SANS.” He pulls his happy self up after a moment of quiet. “NOW LET US GET READY FOR BED AND READ FLUFFY BUNNY!”

And with that he marches off to his room.

\--------------------------------------------------------------Marceline's.pov------------------------------------------------------------

You close the door behind them quietly and let out a small sigh.  _ I’m in for some spicy dreams tonight. _ You walk to Sole and pick him up so that you can carry him like a baby. “Let’s get you some dinner mah chunky boy.”

You kiss him on the head and walk over to his food bowls. As soon as you're done getting his food ready he leaps towards it and starts eating. You smile slightly and walk to the bathroom to do the necessities. As you brush your teeth you rethink the day.  _ It’s felt like three days in one. At least it started off nice. _ You put your toothbrush away and start heading for bed. You change into your fuzzy pajama pants and a sports bra before flopping onto your bed and getting under all of the blankets. Grabbing your big white stuffed dragon for some cuddles you sigh. “You’ll guard me from nightmares right Casper? Sole has to keep guard for creeps, so you’re on duty.” You whisper quietly as you snuggle closer.

Your mind starts racing soon after you decide to try and relax.  _ I know they said that they won't leave, but some of the others said that too. Did I tell them this too soon? Should I have waited and just broke it down into pieces? What if they start acting differently now? I don’t want to drive them away… I don’t want to be alone again… _ You roll over and grab your phone before your thoughts get the better of you.  _ Fuck this I don’t want to and won’t go to sleep like this. _ You start scrolling through Instagram to see what people are up too.

After scrolling through stories, pickup lines, people bragging, and art, you find a picture from Pixie’s Instagram of the two of you when you were both really young.  _ Flashback to when me and Marcy were a couple of whipper snappers! _ You smile and screenshot it before leaving a like.  _ Man I used to have such long hair… gross. _ You smile and look at the picture for a little longer. You were both wearing some random rock band t-shirt and playing your instruments like a couple of idiots. Both smiling like crazy.  _ It’s weird to see him without any tattoos. _

After a little more scrolling your brain finally calms down enough to the point of sleepiness. Sluggishly, you plug your phone in and start to sink lower into your bed. At some point Sole joined you and curled up behind your legs, so you try your bed not to move them. You slowly drift deeper and deeper into sleep. The last thing you hear is your phone buzzing.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------Sans.pov--------------------------------------------------------------

After sending the text to Marceline you decide to make one last check on Paps for the night. You teleport over to his door and peak in.  _ fast asleep. good, he needs it. _ You ‘port back to your room and lay down on the bed. You see that your phone is blinking.  _ she text back already? _ You open your phone only to see that it was Al. ‘Hey Sans, sorry for texting so late! But I wanted to know if you knew about this weird human thing?’

‘They sometimes will burn their dead loved ones and turn them into ash so that they can scatter them on things that they loved or make them into something so that they are always arounf! I didn’t know they developed something like that.’

You blink at the random burst of information.  _ burn them into ash… _ ‘well that is certainly a fiery way of doing things. thanks for the hot take on that information.’

You lay back in your bed and sigh. Just as you close your lids to sleep you hear a sudden movement from Papyrus’s room.


End file.
